21

On the surface, if you just pitch it as a movie about college kids counting cards to make money at blackjack, it’s not that appealing. But, when you sell it as Academy award winner Kevin Spacey leading a bright young cast as they try to beat the odds in Vegas, it’s a little more interesting. Sadly having watched the movie it’s a little closer to the first pitch.

The Cast: Kevin Spacey may have been the top liner in this but his screen time is somewhat limited, and unlike his role in Seven where he had very little time on screen and still managed to steal the show his character here is somewhat forgettable. Jim Sturgess is a relative newcomer to starring roles but does little to truly stand out in this film. His performance is solid, but does not truly stand out in any way. Kate Bosworth rounds out the main characters, in the obligatory love interest role, and in many ways that’s pretty much all the character was there for.

The stand out for me was in a supporting role was Aaron Yoo, he was consistently the most entertaining person on screen, even with little dialogue.

Based on a true story, 21 had potential, and with actors like Kevin Spacey, Lawrence Fishburne, and Kate Bosworth it is possible my expectations were high going in. but the bottom line is the film was not great. The characters seemed flat leaving you with no one really to root for. Despite a fairly successful attempt to create a visually appealing film (the Vegas scenes feel like Vegas and the Boston ones feel like Boston) the film seems longer than it should have been and has trouble keeping an interesting pace throughout.

Runtime: 123 minutes