“21″ starts out a good deal. But then it busts.
The drama, about a crew of MIT geniuses in a card-counting scheme, is inspired by Ben Mezrich’s nonfiction bestseller “Bringing Down the House.”
But its translation to the big screen plays as pure fiction with affected supporting performances — especially by Kevin Spacey in another ruthless jerk role — and a contrived sting-style denouement.
Based on a central relationship between a newbie gambling prodigy (“Across the Universe’s” Jim Sturgess) and an authoritarian expert (Spacey), we’ve seen this love-hate, mentor-disciple setup too many times before. Indeed, Tom Cruise established his early career on this cliche subgenre, opposite Robert Duvall and Paul Newman, among others.
What sticks for “21”? At least in the beginning, there are some cool revelations about the simple scholarly logic behind how to win at blackjack and a palpable sense of Vegas’ high-energy glitter and gambling’s insidious lure.
Directed with sporadic pep by Robert Luketic (“Legally Blonde,” “Monster-in-Law”) from a long-winded screenplay by Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb, the story finally engages after an extensive introduction establishing that graduating MIT student Ben Campbell (Sturgess) is both really smart and really poor. It only takes a little hard sell by Spacey’s cunning mathematics professor, Mickey Rosa, and some implied seduction by hottie Jill (Kate Bosworth) to convince Ben to join their team of professional card-counters. Ben sees the dicey gig as his only chance to pay for his future at Harvard Medical School.
Under Mickey’s strict supervision and using his system, Ben, Jill and a handful of other students attempt to beat out some Vegas casinos and their brutal “loss prevention” consultant Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne). But the thrill of the win — and of big money — soon overwhelms Ben as he loses sight of his original goals. Greed leads him into confrontation with both Mickey and Cole, but not before the tables are turned back on them too.
As the plot shuffles, it also strains the bounds of believability. For instance, why do Ben and his cohorts bother to don disguises and yet keep returning to the same casinos where they are recognized by name by the pit bosses?
Answer: You should ante up here for the atmospheric details, not the narrative ones. Because unless you’re particularly into the gaming milieu, this “21” might not be your game.
‘21’
Three Stars
» Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne
» Director: Robert Luketic
» Rated PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity
» Running time: 123 minute
