Best thing to do is sit and enjoy the characters in their environments.

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2009)

21 (2008, Dir. Robert Luketic)
In order to be accepted into Harvard School of Medicine, Ben Campbell (Sturgess) will have to save $300,000 for the course. Only problem about this is the Ben can't get this amount of money. After being impressed by his skills in his Math's lesson, Prof. Micky Rosa (Spacey) invites Ben to become a member of a small group; a group who are planning to walk out of Vegas with millions, thanks to Ben's card counting.
There are certain things about '21' which would attract audiences towards it, as well as certain things which would put others off. '21' is not an action film, nor is it a horror; it is in fact a drama. Some audiences would consider a drama boring, but is this drama boring? Not at all! Firstly, '21', does contain a small, yet great ensemble cast. Relatively unknown British actor Jim Sturgess heads the pack, which includes a small number of known stars. Kate Bosworth, who is much better in this than her recent performance in Superman Returns, provides the romance of the story. Whilst not a household name, Aaron Yoo is starting to build up a steady fan base, since starring in Disturbia, and clearly has fun playing Choi in this. The problem with any scene involving Yoo, is that you will always need to be watching him. Whether it's slipping a bottle into a bag or making a quick quip, Yoo is someone you need to be watching. Rounding off the group are Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts and the always awesome Kevin Spacey. Like every other role he has, Spacey is a joy to watch and makes the film even more enjoyable. Another high profile name featured in 21, yet not with the "heroes", is Laurence Fishburne, who like Spacey, is always wonderful to watch.
The majority of the film is based mostly on the actual game playing, but it is filmed in a way which prevents it from being boring. Watching the techniques and interaction between characters make an interesting watch, as you wonder how far they will get before they are caught. 21 isn't completely perfect however. In particularly, remembering the rules to the actual game can be a struggle. As well as remembering the rules, you also have to remember the signals that characters have to give. Picking up the signals can be fairly easy, but if you have no interest in blackjack and similar casino games, then there's a possible struggle to keep hold of the rules. Best thing to do is sit and enjoy the characters in their environments.
I think he's gonna be ready for our little trial run tomorrow.  Prof. Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey)