Las Vegas, the city of sin, is intriguing to a lot of people. And who could blame them? The money, the sex, the badness of it all makes it incredibly alluring.
“21” is a movie that takes this idea of the sin in Las Vegas and turns it into something entertaining for audiences and may even make them think twice next time they get involved with dangerous games.
The movie retells the story of five MIT students who make millions card-counting and the teacher who guides them through it all. The story starts out as a shy, very broke young student joins the team to pay for medical school.
He quickly turns into the star of the team and his plan on only making enough for medical school quickly turns into a new sense of greediness and importance.
So what happens when emotions run high and the group get a little too caught up and a little too cocky? Well then it’s time for Hollywood’s resident bad guy to step in and teach them all a lesson, including their teacher.
But what’s a movie without a love story? “21” is complete with romance as well as risk. When the shy new star falls for the popular girl, emotions run even higher. The love story between the two is fairly predictable however and doesn’t add much to the overall story at all.
The movie is also complete with competition, when the new guy outshines the old star. Disaster ensues, especially when the stakes are this high. The result is a little drama and excitement for the audience that leaves you feeling nervous, a sign that you’re so into the story you think it’s real.
The characters are well cast to provide their own duties, including the funny Asian guy who seems like he’s high on some kind of drug all the time. The main character, played by Jim Sturgess, is very endearing to the audience.
What makes the movie, apart from the characters and drama, is the surprise ending. The movie ends with a twist that is icing on the cake for this immorally delicious film. I would give it a rating of 7 out of 10 just for the last 15 minutes.
“21” is rated PG-13.