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21 (2008)

Director: Robert Luketic
Actors: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Category: Movie

Buy New: $3.99

Rating:

94 reviews
Sales Rank: 1091

Genre: Drama - Crime
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 123 Minutes

ASIN: B001EMXS1Q

Theatrical Release Date: March 28, 2008
Release Date: October 20, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Synopsis:

Inspired by the true story of MIT students who mastered the art of card counting and took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings. Looking for a way to pay for tuition, Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) finds himself quietly recruited by MIT's most gifted students in a daring plot to break Vegas. With the help of a brilliant statistics professor (Kevin Spacey) and armed with fake IDs, intelligence and a complicated system of counting cards, Ben and his friends succeed in breaking the impenetrable casinos. Now, his challenge is keeping the numbers straight and staying one step ahead of the casinos before it all spirals out of control.

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Customer Reviews: Read 89 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

ex-professional card counter checking in July 19, 2008
blooker (NC)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

I counted cards in Las Vegas, Reno, and Nassau during the 70's and 80's and made a good living at it. Rule changes and casino procedures now in place to thwart all the but the very best counters, make doing the same now difficult unless one wants to play forty or fifty hours a week with about a $300,000 bannkroll. This movie, although riddled with procedural BS, manages to catch some of the spirit and excitement of card counting. Several casinos, primarily in downtown Vegas, had no problem taking counters behind closed doors and roughing them up. Check out 21 history on www.bj21.com if you have the time to do so. This movie is a keeper and I highly recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars

cool heist film August 14, 2008
sec127 (Getzville, New York United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

i love any movie where people find a way to obtain large amounts of money and '21' is no expectation. the cast is fun, the film is visually interesting and the dvd release is decent. if you like Vegas themed movies you would love this. its harmless and enjoyable. check it out.

5 out of 5 stars

Loved it! August 18, 2008
Sherry C (Texas)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Fun and Entertaining, really enjoyed this movie, even more so because it's based on a true story. I'm really puzzled as to why this wasn't more of a box office success. A hidden gem, highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars

Great film, fascinatin card play September 19, 2008
J. Prince (Atlanta, GA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a great film with very interesting card play. I enjoyed learning the code words that were used in the card games. I felt this aspect brought me, the viewer, into the movie - almost as a participant.

Great audio and video on the Blu-Ray.

5 out of 5 stars

Blackjack! July 8, 2008
Eric M. Milillo (West Islip, NY)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

The following is quoted directly from the MIT website concerning the release of "21":

"The movie "21" , a fictional work loosely based on the story of the MIT blackjack team..."

"Their story became Ben Mezrich's book "Bringing Down the House", which is served as the basis for the fictional "21."

So what's with the quotes? Audiences, as well as directors know that if you put a History channel documentary on the big screen, nobody will want to go see it. So as a warning, this movie is loosely based on a book that was written about a true story and was spiced up a bit for entertainment purposes.

A group of MIT students led by Ben (Jim Sturgess) and their teacher Mickey Ross (Kevin Spacey) go to Vegas every weekend to count cards and come away with thousands of dollars in profit. After several successful weekends, their card counting plot is no longer unnoticed. Overly thorough casino security guard Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) vows to put an end to their card counting days.

"21" is a highly entertaining film. Spacey and Fishburne are nothing short of exceptional. Just keep in mind that this is loosely based on a true story, so what you are getting from this film did not exactly happen in that fashion. Instead, watch it for entertainment. So, hit or stay. I'd choose to stay, because with this movie, you've got blackjack.