21

21 – 2008

With the popularity of poker at its all time high, it was inevitable that this fad would shuffle over into other realms of cars play. However, 21 is not technically a “blackjack” film, it is more a study of the addiction of gambling and the various escapades of those involved. I have not read the source material that the screenplay was based upon; Ben Mezrich’s Bringing Down the House, a true account of a group of MIT students who card counted their was to riches. A solid read or not, it is undeniable that 21 must have lost a lot of its intrigue on the way to the silver screen.

The biggest problem with this film, and there are a number of them, lies in the filmmaker’s lack of faith in the story itself. The story of how these kids managed to rip of these Casino’s, which are some of the most secure places in the world, is surrounded by so much fluff, it begins to smother us. In fact, the means by which their plans succeeded are so white-washed (perhaps for fear of imitation), that the whole essence of the movie becomes muted, and we are left with a slowly executed character study, of characters that are not that interesting in the first place. Coupled with the incessant slow-motion scenes of flipping cards and scattering chips (which even spills out of the casino scenes at times) and the painfully predictable outcome of the entire narrative, little is left to entertain, or praise for that matter. I do not consider myself self indulgent to the extent of bragging that I figured out all the nifty twists and turns, but with 21, I had them all in the palm of my hand; and I mean all.

Ben Campbell is essentially a shmuck. He has no life outside of grades and science fair projects; no girl, few friends and no time for any fun. Turning 21 (How witty) Ben, played well by Jim Sturgess, who does a lot less singing then in last years Beatles homage Across the Universe, catches the eye of one of his professors; Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey), who introduces him into a team of card counters, who venture to Sin City every weekend to clean up on blackjack. Desperate for medical school funds, Ben is drawn in. They have devised a unique system (The aforementioned mysterious one) to beat the house, without being detected. Among the younger risk-takers is the sultry Jill, played by Kate Bosworth, an interest of Ben’s to be certain. After Ben rises into the good graces of their ranks, his success is flagged by the casino’s security head Cole Williams (Lawrence Fishbourne). With success going to his head, shadows behind him, and his life back home looking less and less appealing, Ben must make a decision about which life he wants to live.

Sturgess’ performance is the best thing about this film, which is more then can be said for the usually fantastic Kevin Spacey, who, whether a victim of himself or the poor script hits a bad flop with this role. Fishbourne is adequate and the rest of the team are unassuming. There is an absence of likable characters in 21, Ben’s friends back home are nerdy and creepy, Spacey and Fishbourne are as straight as a card hand of 1,2,3,4,6, and the crew of card sharks are hollow and smutty at times.

21 is a rental at best, and one will not be missing out to discard this film all together. It is a prime example of a failure to believe in the source material, and even an example of when to abandon the use of effects and slow-motion. Existing as a thriller without thrills, a human drama without the “human” touch and unfolding at a snails pace, 21 should have known when to hold back, but goes for the gusto and results in a bust.