Review of “21″
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) wants to switch from the prestigious university MIT – where he’s top of every class – to the even more prestigious Harvard. He has the brains, the grades and the drive, but he just doesn’t have the $300,000 required for fees. So when the chances of getting the only fully paid scholarship look remote, he joins a secret team of MIT whiz-kids who have become card-sharps thanks to the leadership of devious mathematics Professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey). Also in the team is Ben’s fantasy girl Jill (Kate Bosworth) who helps him overcome – or perhaps just forget - any ethical doubts he might have about what they’re doing. Once they have their covert method of counting the cards and communicating with each other using hand signals worked out, the cool looking team of young things head to Las Vegas and take on the big casinos. Their game of choice is Blackjack – or 21 – and they play hard, start to win plenty, and slowly come under the gaze of Loss Prevention Officer Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne), a brutal remnant of the bad old days of the gambling world.
It’s a slickly made film directed by Australian Robert Luketic with energy and panache, opening strongly before the plot complications get a little contrived and the story outcomes telegraphed. Luketic’s talented directorial focus is upon the glamorous look and feel of the film rather than the credibility of the characters or a full explanation of the system they have devised to try and bring down the house. He uses a pumping soundtrack, a swag of card-playing montages, some excellent special effects and the glitzy interiors of several casino’s and nightclubs to maximum effect in order to create Ben’s fantasy world where making money is merely “simple math”. The performances are uniformly strong, with the best written scenes – pitting the brains of Ben against the power of Rosa - bringing out the best work from Sturgess and Spacey. It’s just a pity that this more richly dramatic storyline didn’t play out for longer, screenwriters Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb ultimately sacrificing Rosa’s credibility for the sake of spinning the plot along.
Despite the obvious narrative problems, it’s an enjoyable enough ride, the whole stylish fantasy sprinkled with moments of humour and suspense, the occasional touch of violence, and a cocky sense of integrity.
Rating:
Leave a Reply