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21 (2008)
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Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
28 March 2008 (USA)
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Tagline:
Inspired by the true story of five students who changed the game forever. more
Plot:
"21" is the fact-based story about six MIT students who were trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win
&
5 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Hollywood Money Man Kavanaugh Faces Jail For Second DUI
(From WENN. 8 December 2008, 8:06 AM, PST)
21 Is No. 1
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 31 July 2008, 10:38 AM, PDT)
(From WENN. 8 December 2008, 8:06 AM, PST)
21 Is No. 1
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 31 July 2008, 10:38 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
"Winner Winner Chicken Dinner"
more (247 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Jim Sturgess | ... | Ben | |
| Kevin Spacey | ... | Micky Rosa | |
| Kate Bosworth | ... | Jill | |
| Aaron Yoo | ... | Choi | |
| Liza Lapira | ... | Kianna | |
| Jacob Pitts | ... | Fisher | |
| Laurence Fishburne | ... | Cole Williams | |
| Jack McGee | ... | Terry | |
| Josh Gad | ... | Miles | |
| Sam Golzari | ... | Cam | |
| Helen Carey | ... | Ellen Campbell | |
| Jack Gilpin | ... | Bob Phillips | |
| Donna Lows | ... | Planet Hollywood Dealer | |
| Butch Williams | ... | Planet Hollywood Dealer | |
| Ben Campbell | ... | Planet Hollywood Dealer Jeff (as Jeffrey Ma) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
123 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M |
Finland:K-13 |
Netherlands:12 |
South Korea:15 |
Ireland:12A |
Sweden:11 |
UK:12A |
Canada:14A (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) |
Canada:G (Québec) |
New Zealand:M |
Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia) |
USA:PG-13 (certificate #43290) |
Germany:12 |
Iceland:12 |
South Africa:13V |
Singapore:PG |
Poland:15 |
Brazil:14 |
Italy:T |
Greece:K-13 |
Argentina:13 |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) |
Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) |
Hong Kong:IIB |
Taiwan:PG-12 |
Malaysia:U |
Norway:11 (theatrical rating)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Cameo: [Gustaf Skarsgård]Long-haired man working for Cole Williams. He can be seen chasing Ben in the final run out of the casino.
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Goofs:
Continuity: The first night the group gambles in Las Vegas they are in the Hard Rock Casino, however the table at which Ben gambles says "Red Rock Casino". When he switches tables it says "Hard Rock Casino."
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Quotes:
Micky Rosa:
What's the count?
Choi: Uh, plus nine?
Micky Rosa: You're just saying that because Jill did.
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Choi: Uh, plus nine?
Micky Rosa: You're just saying that because Jill did.
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Movie Connections:
References Freedom Writers (2007)
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Soundtrack:
I am the Unknown
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FAQ
Do any of the Original MIT Team players have parts in the movie?Did a security company from Las Vegas really tail them all over the country?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
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more (247 total)
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Slick camera work and some good performances rev up the technical quality of this fact-based story about a 21 year old MIT student named Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) who, along with his brainy Ivy League chums, travels to Vegas to win tons of money at the blackjack tables. Their sleazy math professor, Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey), leads the group. Rosa has devised an elaborate and conspiratorial card counting scheme that consists of code words and hand gestures. With all that preparation, the group's scheme does work ... for a while. And in the process, the shy, cautious Ben, who only wants the money for tuition costs, morphs into his alter ego, a person quite unlike his original self.
The film's pace starts off leisurely, then alternates between fast-paced Vegas casino action and periods of downtime wherein Ben and his girlfriend, fellow conspirator Jill (Kate Bosworth), talk shop and take in the high life. The story does have a villain, but it may not be who you think it is.
The script's dialogue is snappy and hip, and contains minimal tech jargon. "Variable change" is one such math term, and it has thematic implications toward the end, as the story twists and turns in ways that may surprise you. And "winner winner, chicken dinner" is the group's lingo for gambling success.
Production design is realistic and lavish; this is a big budget film. Color cinematography, by DP Russell Carpenter, is polished and slick. There are lots of elaborate camera dissolves and close-ups. The best parts of the film are the close-ups of the characters at the blackjack tables. Film editing coincides with plot pacing, and ranges from slow to super fast. Acting is all-around good. Kevin Spacey gives his usual topnotch acting job; Sturgess and Bosworth also give fine performances.
It's not a perfect film. Background music was noisy and rather nondescript for my taste. And I could have wished for more card playing, and less time spent on Ben's college buddies in the first Act; the result is that the film gets off to a slow start. Still, the script is credible, and stays close to its book source "Bringing Down The House" by Ben Mezrich.
Thematically relevant in today's world of greed and materialism, "21" is a terrific film, one that has greater import than other films, because the events in "21" really happened. And the fine performances and polished visuals enhance the overall look and feel, to create a film that is both engaging and entertaining.