Sturgess, a Brit playing an American here (quite well, by the way), proves that he is destined for stardom in the States. Spacey is Spacey at his best - just the Kevin we know, nothing more, nothing less - and that's good enough. The script is clever, funny, and worthy of math geeks everywhere, and the widescreen action is as nonstop as that on the casino floor.
But the show belongs to Kevin Spacey as professor Mickey Rosa, mastermind behind the escapade, and Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell, the reluctant recruit who drives the film as it barrels headlong to a breathless climax. The tight ensemble cast includes Kate Bosworth and Jacob Pitts as team players and Laurence Fishburne as a security chief with a massive dilemma on his hands. Robert Luketic ('Legally Blonde') directed the Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb adaptation of Ben Mezrich's bestselling book 'Bringing Down the House.' '21' is pure Hollywood all the way - slick and polished, like the wardrobes and personalities inhabited by the kids in their transformation to high rollers. The film is based on the true story of a group of MIT students who use their math skills to 'beat the house' at blackjack in the Las Vegas casinos.
'21' was the official Opening Night Film of the 2008 SXSW Film Festival.
