Cinema Update
Review of 21
21, which is playing at Clearview’s
Beacon Hill Cinema 5 in
Ben’s mathematics professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) secretly runs a blackjack team consisting of a select group of students. Impressed with Campbell’s
wizardry in the course, Micky invites him to join this group. They travel to Las Vegas every weekend to the casinos and always win, thanks to using an intricate system of signals and counting cards. It’s not illegal but the casinos strongly frown upon it. Initially, Ben plans only to win enough money for his tuition. Not surprisingly, he soon gets carried away and starts neglecting his old college friends and his studies. He also risks getting himself and his gambling cohorts caught by Cole Williams, the wary and brutal casino security consultant (Laurence Fishburne).
Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb’s screenplay seems like a rushed first draft- it has so many frustrating plot holes. Why doesn’t Ben consider getting a student loan instead of gambling to raise the money? Why doesn’t he or anybody else on the blackjack team ask Rosa how he gets all the cash for the casino excursions on a teacher’s salary? If Rosa insists disguises are necessary, why does Ben eschew wigs and costumes most of the time he’s gambling? The climax is a padded and awkwardly handled chase sequence. There’s nothing exciting about seeing Ben pursued by the villains through a series of casino kitchens. I won’t spoil anything by revealing the ending but I can assure you that you don’t have to have the gifts of Nostradamus to figure it out.
Director Robert Luketic does the incredible- he actually makes the card-table scenes thrilling. Employing quick cuts, dizzying camerawork, and dazzling computer graphics, he makes card counting as seductive to us as it is to Ben. He also gives the Las Vegas milieu, with its neon lights and reveling figures, a trashy glamour. Unfortunately, he seems underwhelmed by the tiresome chase sequence, making it even more tiresome by handling it sluggishly.
Jim Sturgess’s performance as Ben, for the most part, rises above the lackluster material. The British actor believably enacts an American accent as he projects an Everyman charm with his vulnerable eyes and amiable grin. His transformation from mild-mannered naïf to suave hustler is thoroughly convincing. As Ben gets into trouble, Sturgess persuasively expresses his horror over losing everything he’s struggled for and elicits our sympathy. As Rosa, Spacey oozes sardonic charisma tutoring Ben in the craft of blackjack. His angry outbursts against his students when they try to defy his rules are frightening because he never completely flies off the handle- he always seems determined to suppress any human vulnerabilities. On the other hand, Kate Bosworth misses the mark as Jill, an attractive member of Rosa’s group who gets romantically involved with Ben. She’s supposed to be alluring, but her stony expression and flat line deliveries give her all the magnetism of a department store mannequin. The rest of the performances are acceptable.
If nothing else, 21 is a worthy showcase of Jim Sturgess’s talents. Let’s hope his potential for true stardom is completely fulfilled. The movie is rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content including partial nudity.
Raymond Valinoti,
Jr. is a resident of Berkeley Heights, NJ. He has a Master’s in Library Science
from Rutgers University and is a freelance researcher. His articles on film
have been published in the magazines Midnight Marquee and Films of the Golden
Age. He can be reached at rvalinoti@thealternativepress.com