Review: Spacey gives reason for seeing ‘21’

Directed by: Robert Luketic

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Laurence Fishburne, Jack McGee

Rated: PG-13

What were the odds that The History Channel would replay its dramatized documentary “Breaking Vegas: The True Story of the MIT Blackjack Team” at least once over the weekend of March 28?

A betting person in the know would say 100 percent.

The feature aired once over that weekend, and it will be shown twice on Monday, April 7.

So, why the sure thing?

Whether The History Channel was trying to cash in on the new movie “21,” or Columbia Pictures was trying to get two hours of publicity for that film (released March 28), or whether they are both wholly owned subsidiaries of the same conglomerate is unknown to me.

“Breaking Vegas” chronicles the rise and fall of the infamous MIT team and features interviews with Ben Mezrich, author of “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions,” casino executives, security experts and actual members of the team.

Robert Luketic’s “21” also is based on Mezrich’s bestseller.

To be quite honest, the two pieces make a more enjoyable whole than either half accomplishes on its own.

If I had to choose one, based on each one’s exploring and explaining the subject matter, I’d go with The History Channel’s production.

But, anytime Kevin Spacey is in a movie, you can place a safe wager that at least he will be worth watching. And he is here.

The first act of “21” is quite compelling – if you are of a particular bent.

For certain kinds of geeks, there are film sub-genres of every type. “Math obsessive” is a small but powerful one. The best-known movies of this type are “Good Will Hunting” and “A Beautiful Mind.” A personal favorite, one with more math and less Matt Damon, is “?.” It’s not for everyone but is food for thought.

“21” starts with a paint-by-numbers setup in which Ben (Jim Sturgess), a brilliant but financially challenged college kid (obviously with a heart of gold), gets accepted to Harvard University. Of course, he can’t afford the tuition.

It then gets down to the numbers racket itself, and the film gathers steam.

Spacey is an MIT professor who takes notice of his more gifted students – ones who also have a certain savoir faire.

The professor recruits Ben into a team of other MIT kids who have a knack for hard work, big fun, concentration and math. They have devised a system (it’s all factual, based on sound mathematics) wherein, if those taking part are paying attention, it’s possible to greatly increase the odds against the casinos while engaging in blackjack. While card-counting isn’t illegal per se, the owners of these establishments frown on it, especially when it involves people working in teams to monitor the action at the tables.

After the setup, “21” drifts into a meandering series of seen-it-all-before scenes taken from a screenwriting school of less prestige than MIT’s reputation for math.

Spacey remains stalwart throughout. He produced the film, so he obviously believed in it when it was on paper. If you’re a fan of his, you’ll notice the same acting chops that powered him in roles as diverse as his in “The Usual Suspects,” “American Beauty” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.” While I was more compelled by The History Channel’s telling of this tale, Spacey makes “21” a bet worth taking.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.[[In-content Ad]]