21
Studio: Sony/Columbia Year: 2008 Rated: PG-13 Program Length: 123 minutes Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 1080p Languages: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Portuguese Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Thai Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Indonesian |
The Program
Is it possible to beat the casinos in Las Vegas? In every game the odds are stacked in favor of the house, which means that when gamblers win, the winnings are likely to be temporary. The longer and more often you play, the greater the likelihood that you will lose.
There are exceptions, of course. Playing slot machines is pure luck. You make your bet, push a button or pull a lever, and moments later you learn if you won or lost (usually, you have lost). On the other end of the spectrum is blackjack, also known as 21. In blackjack the gamblers play against the dealer, and there is strategy as well as luck. Some blackjack players not only use strategy, they also count cards.
Counting cards is both simpler and more complicated than a novice might imagine. The basic concept is actually quite easy to grasp. Games of blackjack at casinos are played with as many as six decks of cards, which are dealt from a device called a shoe. As the shoe dwindles down to two decks or less, someone who has been keeping careful track of the cards which have been played can determine if the remaining cards have a bias. If the number of remaining high value cards (tens, face cards and aces) significantly outnumbers the remaining low value cards (deuces through sixes), the odds can shift in favor of the player. For example, a player who is dealt 13 when the shoe is biased toward high-value cards would be well advised to not take another card, because the odds of drawing a face card and busting (going over 21) is greater than usual. At the same time, a dealer holding 16 or less is required to take another card, and the dealer’s chance of busting is greater than usual. Advantage: player.
The most common method of counting cards is the Plus 1/Minus 1 Balance System. The counter assigns a value to every card which is played. Deuces through sixes are worth one point each; sevens, eights and nines have zero value; and tens, face cards and aces are each worth -1. If the count reaches plus ten or more, it means that significantly more low value cards have been played and the remaining cards are mostly high value cards. This gives the player an advantage over the dealer, because the player has more strategic flexibility. The player can draw or hold whenever desired, whereas generally the dealer must take another card when holding 16 or less and must stand when holding 17 or more.
Simple, right? Well, not so much. The basic concept is simple, but getting an accurate count requires time and concentration. In addition, casinos are not in the habit of allowing people to sit at or stand by a blackjack table and simply watch the cards unfold. Therefore, the counter (or an accomplice) must begin playing at a table from the moment that a new shoe of cards is first used, and must keep an accurate count of the cards until the shoe has dwindled sufficiently to have developed a definite bias. If the bias significantly shifts toward high value cards, it may be time to do some serious betting. However, if the bias shifts toward low value cards, it likely is time to move to another table.
The film 21 tells the story of how a group of undergraduates from M.I.T. in Boston made a killing by counting cards at blackjack tables in Las Vegas. 21 is based upon the best-selling book “Bringing Down the House: The True Story of Six M.I.T. Kids Who Took Vegas for Millions” by Ben Mezrich. However, the “truth” of the story is in many respects in doubt. The film has changed some of the names and facts from the book, and the book itself has been the subject of controversy because the author changed names, conflated some events, and other incidents appear to have been figments of his imagination. In any event the premise is intriguing and there is much to like about the film, although ultimately it comes across as contrived and unsatisfying.
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a brilliant but somewhat nerdy undergraduate at M.I.T. who has been accepted to Harvard Medical School. The catch is that the tuition and fees at Harvard Medical exceed $300,000 and Ben does not have that kind of money. He has placed his hopes on winning a free ride through the Robinson Scholarship, but he becomes discouraged when he learns that there are 76 applicants for the scholarship, and all 76 have resumes which are at least the equal of Ben’s.
One day, while attending a class in non-linear equations, Ben catches the attention of his mathematics professor, Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey). Micky comes to realize that Ben is a mathematics genius and he is impressed that Ben values logic over emotion. One evening Ben is brought to a meeting where Micky is teaching four other bright undergraduates how to count cards and play blackjack. Micky tries to convince Ben to join the “team,” but Ben is reluctant. In addition to his class work, he is involved in a science competition with two friends. However, one of the students involved in the blackjack group is the beautiful Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth). After she implores Ben to change his mind, he decides to give it a try. Following a successful trial run at a gambling hall in Boston’s Chinatown, they are ready to fly to Las Vegas and make a killing.
After several successful forays at various casinos in Las Vegas, Ben’s winnings come to the attention of a Las Vegas security expert, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne). Although counting cards is not illegal, casinos have the authority to refuse anyone to bet, and they work diligently to weed out the card counters. As Ben’s winnings increase and he has the opportunity to take advantage of the high living which Las Vegas has to offer, his interest in Harvard Medical School begins to dwindle. Then, one night Ben allows his emotions to overrule his logic, and dire consequences ensue.
I really wanted to like 21, but dramatically it falls short because most of the dramatic turns come across as contrived and implausible. For example, Ben’s desire to go to Harvard Medical School seems to be a mere plot device. We never learn why Ben wants to become a doctor, only that it has been his dream since childhood. He never talks about becoming a doctor, only about getting the money to pay for his tuition. And why would a mathematics genius choose to become a doctor, anyway? The plot also requires Ben and Jill to fall for each other, even though the romantic chemistry between the two is difficult to discern. Ben is likeable enough, but the other members of the blackjack team are not fleshed out at all. We know nothing about them, other than the fact that they are bright enjoy making money. Kate Bosworth’s Jill is attractive but displays very little in the way of personality.
The film also plays games with the audience. A scene involving Ben and the casino security man, Cole Williams, is edited in such a way that a critical part of the encounter is withheld from the audience, in order to fool us about what motivates Ben’s subsequent actions. The film’s contrivances include Ben picking an incredibly stupid place to stash his winnings – he hasn’t heard of a safety deposit box? Do Las Vegas casinos really allow their security people to inflict physical beatings upon card counters? Card counting is not illegal, but the last time I looked, assault and battery is. And if you do not see that the film telegraphs the final scenes involving Micky and Ben, you haven’t been paying attention.
That said, there is enough to like about 21 that you may want to give it a try. The film moves along briskly, and the scenes in Las Vegas and at the casinos are quite vivid and exciting. There are also some beautiful images of Boston (although Beantowners will recognize that the campus scenes were filmed at Boston University rather than M.I.T.). Ultimately, this is a flawed but interesting film about greed, a film which has no heroes.
The Video
The 1080p Blu-ray widescreen transfer is sharp and colorful. Shadow detail is a bit lacking in a few scenes, but that may be by design. Color fidelity appears to be excellent and I saw no evidence of excessive processing or digital artifacts. Forum members who have been to Las Vegas recently will feel like they are back in town when they view the striking nighttime images of the city. The movie was made with Panasonic Genesis HD cameras. All in all, this is another fine Blu-ray transfer from Sony.
The Audio
The Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 audio is superb and at times envelops the viewer in sound. This is particularly true of the casino scenes, in which the soundtrack does a great job of replicating the sounds of actual casinos. The film utilizes a large number of contemporary recordings in the soundtrack and even manages to work in a remix of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones. There is a fair amount of punch in the low ranges and the surround channels have plenty to do. The dialogue is always clear and intelligible.
The Supplements
This Blu-ray release of 21 has quite a few extras, one of which is exclusive to the Blu-ray version.
First up is a running commentary by director Robert Luketic and producers Dana Brunetti and Michael DeLuca. They spend more time recounting anecdotes about things which occurred in Las Vegas than about the actual nuts and bolts of making the film, but it is entertaining.
A featurette entitled “21 – The Advantage Player” provides viewers with some background about the history of blackjack. The cast members who play the members of Micky Rosa’s team give a brief tutorial about card counting. They go through it very quickly, so you may need to watch it a couple of times to fully understand how it works.
Another featurette is a “making of” piece called “Basic Strategy: A Complete Film Journal.” Subjects such as set design are covered in another featurette, “Money Plays: A Tour of the Good Life.”
The exclusive feature is a virtual blackjack game, which I have played a few times and have found to be enjoyable. It also acts as a tutorial, giving players the opportunity to get advice on how to play the game in different situations. Whether it will make me a better blackjack player remains to be seen.
There are also a few previews of other Sony Blu-ray releases.
The Packaging
The single disc comes in a standard Blu-ray keepcase.
The Final Analysis
21 is a generally entertaining film which kept my attention throughout. However, it is one of those films in which events happen so quickly that the viewer does not have time to reflect upon them at the moment. It is later, when you take a few minutes to think about it, that you realize that much of what you have seen is highly contrived and implausible. Nevertheless, the subject matter is quite interesting, the photography is vivid and glossy, and the movie moves along and is reasonably involving. It could have been much better than it is, but it is worth a look.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD10A DVD Player
Sharp LC-42D62U LCD display
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: July 22, 2008
