21
Five M.I.T. students use a card-counting system to take on Las Vegas casinos, risking more than money.
Where to watch online
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About the film
They proved the Vegas Blackjack System was beatable...by beating the hell out of it.
What it’s about
Ben Campbell, a bright M.I.T. student, needs $300,000 for medical school but cannot afford it. His unorthodox professor, Micky Rosa, introduces him to a secret club of five students who count cards at blackjack. Ben joins Jill, Choi, Kianna, and Fisher to learn a system that could beat the casinos.
What hooks you
Jim Sturgess plays Ben, with Kevin Spacey as the professor who runs the scheme and Kate Bosworth as teammate Jill. The film adapts Ben Mezrich's book about the real M.I.T. students who took Vegas for millions. Shot in Boston and Las Vegas, it draws from the true story. The real Jeff Ma, the model for Ben, cameos as a dealer.
Who it’s for
It is a good pick for those who like tension that builds slowly, the glamour of casinos, and stories of clever underdogs bending the rules. It is also for anyone drawn to true-crime tales of heists and cons.
Ratings
MOVIE․ONE · 564 votesCreative team
All 9
Trivia
- The film is based on Ben Mezrich's book Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions (2002).
- Ben Mezrich spent several years gathering information about a group of MIT students who used an advanced card-counting system. He met with former team members, with the main protagonist himself, with casino security system specialists, and with everyone else who had anything to do with that story.
- Filming took place from March 2007 in Boston and Las Vegas.
- Jeffrey Ma (the real-life inspiration for Ben Campbell) made a cameo as a dealer at the Planet Hollywood casino.
- One of the members of that MIT student team, and possibly the main character himself, was John Hirschtick — the founder and first CEO of SolidWorks.
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