Based on the true story of six M.I.T. students, “21″ is a movie about a group of M.I.T. students who, under the tutelage of one of their professors, learn how to count cards and take their skills to Vegas to win a large sum of money at blackjack at the various casinos there. Although counting cards isn’t technically illegal, the casinos frown heavily upon it. The story takes place before the development of facial recognition software (where the casinos can catch cheaters easier with the use of cameras and computers), so catching card counters was a lot more difficult, and thus the punishments were more severe.

“21″ stars Jim Sturgess (“Across the Universe”) as Ben Campell. Ben is a genius M.I.T. student who is cruising his way towards graduation. He has been accepted into the prestigious Harvard Medical School, but Ben does not have the finances to attend. His only shot at making it there is to win the single full-ride scholarship given out by Harvard, but as the Harvard representative explains to him, Ben would need to wow Harvard to win it. Looking at Ben’s past, he is worried that he doesn’t have anything that would qualify as a “wow” factor.

One night, Ben gets invited to join a secret group of students practicing their skills at card counting under the teaching of Professor Rosa (Kevin Spacey – “American Beauty”). Although hesitant at first to join, the offer of Medical School tuition keeps Ben around. The group goes to Vegas and wins big in their first couple attempts.

The ecstasy of victory only lasts so long, however, as a number of problems arise. In-group fighting, losing a distinction between what’s real and what’s pretend, and the threat of getting caught are just a few of the problems that Professor Rosa’s crew has to face in Vegas, and eventually it overwhelms the group, threatening to break them apart. Ben must decide what in his life is the most important.

“21″ also stars Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”) as Cole Williams, a casino consultant who has lost his previous job to card counters and vows to catch this newest group before they take everything from his new job.

“21″ hits the mark on everything it tried to accomplish. It showed both the highs and lows gambling can cause. In Vegas, you can be whomever you want and no one needs or wants to know any different. At the same point, the cost of obsession (in this case winning and earning large amounts of money) can become too great. Friendships can be ruined, careers can be put off track, and the important things in life can be lost in the process.

The cinematography in “21″ is stunning. As Ben begins to learn and practice card counting, the camera slows down the motion of the cards being dealt in order for Ben to explain how card counting works. The system the group develops involves key words and hand signals. Every time Ben would hear one of these words, Ben would flash back to his practice using flash cards to remember what the words meant. Every time he would see one of the hand motions, the camera would slow down to show how Ben’s mind caught and reacted to the signals.

Overall, “21″ is a fantastic movie. It tells the story of what can happen when a group of people allow themselves to profit from their intelligence and have a great time while doing it. “21″ makes the viewer want to dream big themselves and strive for something out of the ordinary.

Grade: A-

Kolin Kasten is a graduate of St. Norbert College with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. He is a freelance writer who also works part-time for Monumental Films, a Wisconsin-based video business whose goal is to capture the important events in one’s life on film. To learn more, please go to: http://www.monumentalfilms.net. To view more of Kolin’s articles, please visit his blog, at http://kkasten.wordpress.com