21

21, for those of you who haven't seen any commercials yet, is the story of a team of MIT Students who spend their weekends flying to Vegas to count cards at Blackjack with the help of their professor. The movie is loosely based on a real-world team that actually pulled this off back in the 70s, but to keep things modern and interesting they put it in the context of modern-day.

The Story follow Ben Campbell (Jim Sturges), an MIT senior and boy-genius who gets accepted into Harvard medical only to find out he can't afford the $300,000 tab. After being turned down for a full-ride scholarship because his story didn't "jump off the page", he is approached by Professor Rosa (Kevin Spacey) with a proposition to join the underground team of card-counting college kids.

Immediately his life is turned around as he spends his time in high-roller suites in expensive suits, attracting the attention of a struggling Vegas security firm. They monitor the team's movements and start to pick up their strategies, leading to an eventual confrontation that throws the whole operation into Jeopardy. While the movie may not me true to the book, it's an original idea and the acting pretty decent. The story is believable overall well-directed. You really get a feel for Ben Campbell, you relate to his situation and he seems and acts human enough to make the story work. I ended up enjoying the movie, and would definitely recommend it for blackjack fans and newbies alike.