I had to visit two movie rental stores to find a copy of the movie "21" and even then it was the last copy on the shelf. With the near two hour running time and vast talents of Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne, I was expecting great things. I suppose like many before me I was distracted by the Las Vegas glitz and glamour because this movie about counting cards does not add up to a hit.
Director Robert Luketic must be a big fan of the "Matrix" movies because there is a heavy dose of fast motion which somewhat succeeds in conveying the frenetic pace of a casino, but there is enough slow motion action to put you to sleep. Yet another cinematic failure of the movie is the abundance of clichéd aerial views of the lights of Las Vegas. If you have seen any other movie about gambling, do not be shocked if "21" fails to bring anything new to the table.
Had the movie been made with a greater desire for quality and not commercial success, it would have received an R rating instead of PG-13. Kevin Spacey’s bipolar character who appears fatherly one minute and homicidal the next would have benefitted the most from an R rating. On a side note, I have never seen a movie with so many scenes in a strip club that did not show any nudity.
A real head scratcher is the reference to face recognition software that is supposed to aid the casinos in catching card counters. However, the members of the team do not don any bona fide disguises until the climax at the end, only a wig here and there. If the naked eye can differentiate between the no-name actors, surely this software could.
The DVD extras are sparse but in a good way. Too many movies have deleted scenes as a part of the bonus features, deleted scenes that are not worth watching. “21” avoids this by not including them. The extras do include a brief history of blackjack and a tutorial on basic strategy and counting cards which convinced me I need to visit a casino and start planning my retirement.
