There’s not much to say about 21 other than it comes across as Ocean’s 11 Junior with Kevin Spacey as a cruel and calculating Danny Ocean and Laurence Fishburne as a more deranged and hardcore Andy Garcia. But then presenting card playing as some kind of exciting spectator sport represents a huge problem to be overcome for the average filmmaker; even in Casino Royale where the whole point is a card game only about 15 minutes is spent playing it. And if the seeming glamorization of cheating while gambling isn’t enough, there’s always a timely lesson about how these two things are the best way to eliminate your student debt.

Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a working class lad at M.I.T. looking for the money to pay his way through medical school, preferably a highly sought after scholarship. Ben comes to the attention of Math prof Mickey Rosa (Spacey), who runs a card-counting crew of M.I.T. students. They journey to Las Vegas every weekend, and using a co-ordinated system, they turn the tables on the house at the Black Jack tables. Of course, it’s not too long before Ben realizes that despite the ungodly sums of money he’s making, he’s way in over his head. Meanwhile, Ben’s come under the scrutiny of an old school security expert (Fishburne) who has a history with Mickey.

Partially based on a true story (what isn’t these days), I was struck at how fake the movie seemed; it was more like some kind of jokey episode of Dawson’s Creek at times. The lesson is never trust anyone over 30, since all the younger characters are genuine and mere pawns in the Vegas scheming of the adults, while Spacey and Fishburne are manipulative and mean. You know they’re both bad ass because they’re smokers and Fishburne smokes in the security office in clear violation of local and state laws on the subject. Take that!... All you health mongers that have the audacity to create healthy work spaces.

The real problem with 21, aside from all the card playing, is that you don’t really see the consequences of Ben’s hard living lifestyle and you don’t see any sign that Ben has actually had some sense and street smarts beat into him by Fishburne’s brass knuckles. I mean hasn’t he seen a movie ever, doesn’t he know about double crosses and how in this line of work he’s in, no one is as they seem? Maybe it’s because Ben only has eyes for team mate Kate Bosworth, who really needed to be more of a femme fatale to make the film more interesting. What I don’t get is: were they trying to make the film as realistic as possible? Because I didn’t buy it.

There was no tension in the film. Even when there was risk I didn’t feel like there was any risk. With no tension from the probably false assumption that casinos poo-poo card counters with a smack to the face and warning, we are left with the mind numbing excitement of watching people play Black Jack. Granted, the game is easier to follow for the gambling layman than poker or whatever, but that doesn’t make things more fun to watch. Frankly, I don’t understand the poker tournament phenomenon on TV, I can’t be bothered. How can you sit there and watch someone play cards? It’s not like you can cheer them on. “Hey Jimmy! Draw an ace! Draw and ace!”