| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | 21 (2008) |
| Director | Robert Luketic |
| Writer | Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb, Ben Mezrich |
| Lead Actor | Jim Sturgess |
| Cast | Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth |
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Thriller |
| Release Date | March 28, 2008 (United States) |
| Duration | 2 hours 3 minutes |
| Budget | $35 million |
| Language | English |
| IMDB Rating | 6.8/10 |
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Positive Aspects of 21 (2008)
This film is based on the true story of a group of MIT math geniuses who hit Vegas with a card counting scheme and in the process beat the system and pulled out millions. It’s a great place to start, and the opening sequences seem to give the indication that we might be in for an exciting ride. The setup of Kevin Spacey and the students is great, especially with the subtle manipulations Spacey uses to rope in his latest member of the card-counting team, Ben (Jim Sturgess).
Las Vegas looks fabulous in this movie, with a lot of the major sites and a number of major casinos on show. Laurence Fishburne really stands out as the casino tough man who is on to the card-counting, especially when he captures Ben and beats the crap out of him. Kate Bosworth is okay as the love interest, but perhaps the best part is the explanation of the card-counting scheme and how clever these kids were. There’s a nice motif running through the film about how gambling and living the high life will end up bringing about your demise, particularly after Ben, who wins everything, ends up losing it when his ego and emotion get the better of him.
Drawbacks of 21 (2008)
The trailer for this film gave the impression of a classy, sexy, experienced thriller with an all-star cast; unfortunately, the main event is a major let down, and in fact completely boring. I found myself looking at my watch once or twice throughout the running time. The biggest problem, I think, is that the film adopts a “going-through-the-motions” feel, and after we get the setup of how the card counting is done, the execution of the deed in the casinos is just flat and uninteresting. You’d want a bit more thrills in the dealing of the cards (just like in Casino Royale), or even just capturing the feeling of being in Vegas and playing on those tables, but alas we get nothing. It’s all perfunctory.
Spacey, as it turns out, is the villain of the piece, but even the way this story is played out, including Ben’s double-cross on him which is only revealed in the climax has a somewhat, “oh yeah whatever” feeling to it. This is perhaps the most interesting part of the story but by this point you’re so bored out of your brains that it won’t register. A major opportunity was wasted in this film to capture the excitement, glamour and fun of a place like Vegas and this film makes the error of not only not doing that, but it overstays its welcome (the running time is around 2 and a half hours).
Final Verdict
Given this film is about Black Jack, Vegas, hot women and big money, it comes as a surprise that it’s so boring; it lacks any excitement or thrills in its delivery, only leaving an intriguing story that is never worked to its full potential and thus never gets you interested.
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