2/4 stars
In Robert Luketic’s 21, protagonist and genius MIT student Ben Campbell, played by Jim Sturgess, gets accepted to Harvard Medical School only to find out he is short on funds for paying his tuition. Ben finds his opportunity to obtain riches to pave his way towards becoming a doctor in card-counting mastermind Professor Micky Rosa. Rosa leads a team of confident protégés who have a system for cheating the blackjack system in Las Vegas.
In the beginning of the film, Ben is often unlikeable, as he never hesitates to make a spectacle of his superior brains. Indeed, behind Ben’s façade of timidity is an ostentatious show off. This depiction of Ben is likely to not have even been the screenwriters’ intention.
However, we see Ben’s vulnerability as a blackjack novice. We are on edge as many of his fears of being caught almost come to fruition, keeping us on our toes. As we eventually grow fond of Ben, we feel torn when a moment of uncharacteristic greed leads to his heavy downfall.
Jim Sturgess does a decent job of playing Ben. However, the film is primarily carried by Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Spacey, who do brilliantly in giving depth to extreme characters, Cole and Mickey, respectively. Kate Bosworth, who plays Ben's love interest Jill, also does an excellent job. In addition to the actors’ portrayals, director Luketic’s cinematography is exceptional.
It is the screenwriters Loeb and Steinfeld’s script that fails. The film contains a few logical blunders, and many scenes escalate too rapidly. Most of the dialogue is overblown, and the characters never seem to cool off. Each line is laden with excessive tension, ironically diluting the intensity in scenes in which a climax is needed. Only Kevin Spacey’s pompous and charismatic Mickey Rosa is capable of properly delivering the over-the-top dialogue.
In many situations, the movie would do better to “show” rather than “tell”. Loeb and Steinfeld seem to take the easy way out by having characters speak about events when it would be more effective to have clips dedicated to these events. As a result, the writers come off as cheap.
Despite the decent directing and excellent acting, the phony dialogue and unrealistic buildup of scenes are deal-breaking flaws. However, epicureans may feel drawn to this film as it revolves around winning loads of money and enjoying the luxurious Las Vegas life.