Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a MIT math major looking to get into Harvard School of Medicine. He comes from a poor family and needs to dazzle for a full scholarship. Ben impressed his professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) and is introduced to the professor's secret club. Along with Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth),Choi (Aaron Yoo),Kianna (Liza Lapira) and Fisher (Jacob Pitts),they hone their card counting skills to beat the casinos at blackjack. It's a great ride until casino pit boss Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) catches him.

The premise is interesting. The movie depends on Jim Sturgess and where the movie chose to concentrate on. I'm not thrill about the romance being glued on to this. It feels ill-fitting. If there is one compelling relationship, it should be Ben and the professor. This could have been a great dark character study. Instead it tries to be flashy and cool. The romance drains the edginess out of the movie. Also it would be more compelling to have Ben start off as a more introverted loner. It would allow more room for the character growth and some possible father issues.

Straight A student Jim Sturgess at MIT is having a real problem, he's one of many geniuses trying to get into Harvard Medical School, the cost is going to be over $300.000.00 if he does not get a prized scholarship that several other geniuses are competing for.

So it seems too good to be true when his advanced calculus professor, Kevin Spacey, let's Sturgess in on a little sideline he has going for him. Seems that Spacey has recruited an elite team of his most promising students to work the blackjack tables in Las Vegas, something he used to do himself, but now he's too well known there. Blackjack or 21 he says is the most popular game at the casinos and the one it's easiest to beat if you know how to count the cards.

Counting cards isn't exactly illegal, but something the casino owners do discourage. The discourager is Lawrence Fishburne and he's pretty good at his job, at both spotting and discouraging counters.

Spacey's team consists of Sturgess, Jacob Pitts, Aaron Yoo, Kate Bosworth, and Liza Lapira and all do a good job at convincing you they are actually MIT students and not pretty faces from Hollywood pretending to be geniuses. Spacey of course is his usual fine self.

I particularly liked Pitts's performance as the kid whose jealousy of Sturgess ultimately wrecks the whole operation. 21 is a pretty good film with good location filming on MIT and in Las Vegas giving it an air of authenticity.

You have to love how Sturgess gets the bankroll to Vegas.

This is one of three films I saw on a trans-Atlantic flight. None of the three were ones I particularly wanted to see, but I was bored and in hindsight I am thrilled I saw 21.

Now I'll admit up front that the first section of the film isn't super-exciting, but I stuck with it. My wife and daughter also tried, but quickly gave up and switched channels (their loss). Stick with it, as the film becomes more complex and intelligently written as it progresses--ending with many nice little plot twists to keep you guessing. Additional pluses in the film are the acting (particularly by Kevin Spacey) and the excellent musical score that really takes chances but works so well.

I'd say more about the film, but frankly I'd hate to somehow divulge any of the film's twists. Suffice to say that it's about a brilliant group of card counters who make a killing at Vegas--and then things start to turn ugly in ways they never expected.