21 (Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne) – Counting cards in blackjack is among the greatest fears of the owners of Las Vegas casinos. Why? Because it turns the odds in favor of the player, God forbid. It’s not illegal. But if you get caught doing it, the casino can refuse to let you gamble there and they let all of the other casinos know all about you. In a famous story, a group of MIT students beat the Vegas casinos for a bunch of money by devising a system of counting that involved multiple people giving a series of signals to identify “hot tables.” A book detailing the true story became a best seller. The movie isn’t as true but it’s engrossing entertainment. Geeky math genius Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess of Across the Universe and The Other Boleyn Girl) is about to graduate and go to Harvard Medical School but he is short of money. He is approached by an engaging, witty math professor (Kevin Spacey as Mickey Rosa) and a band of other math prodigies with a can’t-miss scheme to take Vegas for a fortune counting cards. It’s not gambling, Rosa contends, it’s business and it’s math. This great premise then gets fictionalized into a pretty stereotyped drama featuring the evil and ultimately corrupt casino investigator, Cole Williams, played by Laurence Fishburne. Of course, Williams and Rosa have a history; Rosa took Williams’ casino for over $1 million years earlier. Williams is a thug (do these guys really exist?), and he catches Campbell. The rest is pure chase, double-cross and triple cross. I like the film because it kept my attention and the story is compelling. But there are plot holes galore, and if that bothers you, it’ll drive you nuts. But if you love Vegas and are willing to go on this improbable (if somewhat true) ride, it’s worth your time.