21
Director: Eli Frankel
Rated: M
Now screening


Las Vegas has long been portrayed as party central on America's unique canvas. Luring people with its neon-coloured delights, the kitsch kingdom is one of the world's biggest banks waiting to be broken. Amongst the glamour, professional gamblers search for ways to unlock decades old gaming systems. Drawing from true events, '21' reveals how clever MIT maths students used their skills to syphon millions from America's eternal city of sin.

Desperate to study at Harvard University, gifted student Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) seeks fast money. Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) sees a perfect candidate in Ben to join his secret inner circle. Leading a covert gambling group, Mickey uses his bright charges to count cards at various Las Vegas casinos. Using this scheme to make a fortune, the group sees their dreams come true. With the heights come the descents as security expert Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) gate-crashes their party, an event which creates a dangerous cocktail where only one winner can emerge from life's lethal deck of cards.

Films predominantly set in 'Vegas usually tend to be rather empty affairs. Although the glitz is in place, stories never seem to firmly grip the province's glittery character. '21' generally succeeds at going against the trend with a group of interesting characters. A Rasputin-like figure, Spacey's professor uses his classes to pick the best minds to join his illicit venture. His lateral thinking holds sway with his co-conspirators eager to find a new life. The interaction between them and the clever small twists are the best thing about a film that becomes as sparse of Vegas' discarded dreams.

Full of implausibilities the plot trawls along at a snails pace. Whilst the film is superficially enjoyable, the messages about greed and friendship become ham-fisted. The one dimensional caricatures shine a light on the many inconsistencies throughout, with only Sturgess and Spacey leaving any memorable impression. Las Vegas' many fluorescent vistas are well captured by the cinematography with a thumping techno soundtrack elevating the mood, though Robert Luketic's direction settles into a lazy groove turning the intriguing premise into pure Hollywood formula.

Switching to auto-pilot once the gambling scenes kick in, '21' eventually walks a familiar path. Less an involving drama that it wants to be, '21' is reasonably light fluff which mirrors Las Vegas' shiny exterior.

Patrick Moore