21 out of 52
Kevin Spacey clearly wanted to produce this, and in order to get it made adds his weight to the films acting roster. However his time on set is so slim, combined with the amount of time we get Laurence Fishburne for- this film is truly a vehicle for neither's talent.
Instead we're hoodwinked into watching a sort of Dawson's Creek, with some cards thrown in. All the main players are barely out of nappies (diapers), and are as usual for cinematic audiences unfeasibly nice-looking; the tender stars are all likeable enough in as much as none of them are outright annoying, though, the only character who comes close to being developed is the geeky, good-looking, poor but-cool, lead boy. He starts the film awkward and quiet and finishes confident and presumably less likeable, or at least I did. The plot has interest for a nano-second, but the paper-thin rendering of how these supposedly brilliant students cheat Vegas out of 'millions' is shot full of holes when the film reveals that all of them, except for new-geek-boy, aren't actually at all good at reading cards. The story remains lifeless throughout and Spacey's decisions at the end of the film reveal his character to be decidely stupider than the film had, up until that point, lead us to believe.
The story is based on a book which I haven't read by, I believe Peter Loeb, whether or not his book has just been unfairly mangled I've no idea. However if someone were to make Tim Powers 'Last Call' into a movie now there's a doozie of a movie; poker with Tarot, possession, gangsters, and the Fisher King. Would pretty much write itself.
Apologies but there's no way this film is a 4 star, a three at best for when you've got nothing better to do & iTunes seem not in a hurry to stock their larder with better fare. That's just my opinion of course and as Dirty Harry would say, opinions are just ike a**holes everybody's got one.
All those guys who write on and on and on about the price, well yes - we'd all like it to be cheaper, a basic fact of life, if not business, is that with no competition the only supplier can pretty much do what they want. With iTunes being the only quality service on offer at the mo' let's just assume that business is business.
Two stars, would be three,but the average needs flattening.
