Movie Review: 21
B-
In the tradition of gambling dramas, director Robert Luketic’s ’21′ has plenty of its own niches to entertain and satisfy audiences for the duration of two solid hours, but as we follow a bunch of brainiacs into the heart of Vegas, it’s easy to admire there mental quickness and ability to read the deck as it deals at first, but like anyone else with a chance to score big in one night, it becomes crystal clear very early in the goings, that even the kids who say “no” to wild parties, will still say “yes” to any number of digits stuck between a dollar sign and decimal point. And worse than that, the characters’ shift from business to emotion, along with the personal vendettas that come with it, can probably be expected before one even purchases their own stub; which, unlike the Vegas chips, can’t be cashed in when the night’s over.
Jim Sturgess plays Ben Campbell, a gifted MIT student who has everything he needs to attend Harvard Medical School, except for money… lots and lots of money. With a full coverage scholarship available to only one of about seventy applicants, Ben must take matters into his own hands by joining a secret campus blackjack club headed by his nonlinear equations professor (Kevin Spacey), as they travel to Vegas hoping to take the casinos by storm with their vast understanding of numbers.
As much as we can understand and feel for the motivation behind all these young brains ditching home and going to Vegas to score big (in and out of the casinos), it was still a little difficult for me to really be in awe as soon as the house finally caught on to their sneaky little game, because it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that in Vegas, the house always wins; one way or another. I just hope that Jim Sturgess feels grateful for being stuck in the heat of the aftermath with Laurence Fishburne, because I can assure you that had Joe Pesci (Casino) been the one busting their little underhanded operation, these little egg heads would’ve been stuck hard in a vice and crying for their mommies in a heartbeat.
Knowing that ’21′ was bred from a true story was the first catch that really had me interested in seeing the film, (not to mention the very slow start that has plagued the theater this year) and after reading Ben Mezrich’s book, it seemed like ‘Rounders’ may have had a libel contender awaiting release. I’m not sure if it was more so the predictability of the story’s unraveling, or just simply the carelessness that grew from developing the characters, but either way, Mezrich’s five dollar novel certainly gave me a better run for my money as opposed to what would’ve been an eight dollar ticket. The paper came off as very original, but the film came off more like Danny Ocean and Revenge of the Nerds thrown into a blender; for which neither would probably feel appreciated.
It’s only because I give every film its rightful amount of due credit, and ’21′ did have two things working for it; it came out at a good time when everyone was sweating for something special, and Luketic’s film certainly earned its right to exist, (especially since the young heads of the cast are relatively unknown, making the plot all the more gripping), and as much as I love Ocean’s complexity, it is still cool to see some gambling where all the talking ceases, and business is done at the table, with no fake earthquakes used to create distractions. And even though I knew from reading the book first, and having seen so many similar plots unravel, the final act of ’21′ just might serve up a shock or two for viewers who don’t make it to the big screen but once in a blue moon. They had every card they needed to create a masterpiece, but once they were prepared to deal, the stack was a little higher than they expected.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 4 2008. Filed under Features.
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