The 21 Movie: Fact Versus Fiction
Hollywood is well-known for taking inspiration from true stories and turning them into entertainment for the big screen. In 2008, the casino-heist film 21 followed this pattern that blurred the lines between fiction and reality.
21 is based on a true story where six Michigan Institute of Technology (MIT) students and their professors targeted Las Vegas casinos and counted cards. Much of the story was based on the 2002 book named Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich.
However, like all Hollywood films based on actual events, not everything can be relied upon as hard facts. Here are how reality and fiction compare throughout 21.
Characters
First, the character formation in 21 is loosely based on the same figures in the 2003 book.
In the movie, one of the central characters is Micky Rosa – the professor and mastermind behind the card-counting operation. There is some element of truth in this fact as Rosa did exist in the real operation and he was the creator of the operation. But he was not a professor as the entire card-counting process was set up and carried out solely by MIT students without the involvement of teachers.
Also, the character names in the film have been changed and the resemblance to the real people behind the operation are completely different.
Another main character in 21 is the maths genius, Ben Campbell. This figure is based on the true character Jeffrey Ma, who joined the card counting team in the 1990s and has since become extremely famous. But Ma’s likeness to Campbell, played by Kevin Lewis is lacking, adding to the element of fiction for the film.
Similarly, 21 accurately portrays some of the female members of the card-counting team. Certain female members participated in playing against the casinos and Jill Taylor, based on the real-life character Jane Willis, was included in the film. But, some facts in 21 about Willis (Taylor) were incorrect. For instance, Willis was a Harvard student, not MIT, as shown in the film.
To add to the element of excitement and for viewers’ entertainment, other characters were invented in 21. For instance, the head of security Cole Williams, who is beset on bringing down the team of student card counters, is made up.
Williams’ character is a case of Hollywood fiction compared to reality. In the real case, a large team of investigators from the security firm Griffin Investigations monitored and studied the student card counters over many years.
Plot
Further blurs between fact and fiction in 21 are noticeable from the film’s plot and events. Often, Hollywood filmmakers will loosely base the film’s action on real occurrences and then write engaging subplots and backstories. As a result, 21 becomes another example of turning a true story into a fictitious recreation.
Other than creating fictitious characters based on real people, 21 also has some plot developments that did not take place. First, the romance development between Jill Taylor and Ben Campbell never took place and these events have been disputed by the real-life people behind these characters.
Also, most of the team’s motivation for card counting stems from a lack of money and an inability to pay student themes. The common theme of being broke bonds the group during 21 and leads to high-pressure situations and tense scenes throughout the film.
But the reality was that the real people behind the card counting setup were generally from wealthy backgrounds. Ma came from a financially stable background so would have no monetary need to count cards.
Also, some of the group’s methods used to avoid detection have been contested. For instance, the card counters were shown to hire strippers to cash out their winnings to keep suspicion low. Although, this is rumoured to be an exaggeration of real events. Two former card counters involved in the operation, Mike Aponte, and David Irvine, have since explained that this technique never took place.
Settings and Props
Some other areas of contention in the film compared to reality include timelines and settings. First, many of the MIT student’s card-counting activities took place in the 1980s and 1990s. As a result, modern technology, such as portable phones, was not available.
Also, the casino security team is on the verge of bringing in facial recognition technology in the film, which would not have been available during the real timeframe of the events.
Furthermore, the 21 film mostly centres on the team targeting one casino several times. But the group moved to different locations in Las Vegas over a sustained period. For instance, throughout the 80s and 90s, the group were successful in counting cards in some of Vegas’ most well-known establishments. These included The Mirage and Caesar’s Palace, ironically, where some scenes were filmed during production.
