So tasteful it becomes mummified...

Rating: 6/10 (2 July 2010)

Dramatization of the real-life television quiz show scandal which erupted in the late-1950s, wherein the popular program "Twenty-One" was found to be fixed. Based on the book by Richard N. Goodwin, Paul Attanasio's screenplay takes great liberties with the facts, but is still exceptionally entertaining for the first hour. After that, director Robert Redford's innate taste as a filmmaker tends to slow the pacing down, so that nothing which takes place seems very exciting. Redford (whose apparent love for this era is rather surprising) makes excellent casting choices and his conception of the story, a flashback-in-time, is stylish and serious-minded (no overt nostalgia). However, the picture's second-half gets bogged down in legalities which are far less intriguing than the behind-the-scenes drama. Very good performances by Ralph Fiennes and John Turturro nonetheless, with colorful cameos by Martin Scorsese, Illeana Douglas and Calista Flockhart. **1/2 from ****