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      21

      PG-13 Released Mar 28, 2008 2 hr. 2 min. Drama List
      36% 171 Reviews Tomatometer 66% 250,000+ Ratings Audience Score Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), a brilliant student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, needs some quick cash to pay his tuition bills. He joins a group of students who, under the leadership of unorthodox professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), use their math skills to win big in Las Vegas. Seduced by a beautiful teammate (Kate Bosworth) and loads of money, Ben learns that the stakes are higher than he ever imagined when he crosses paths with casino enforcer Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne). Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Dec 05 Buy Now

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      Critics Consensus

      21 could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama.

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      Audience Reviews

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      chamilion1 Interesting idea but it becomes very repetitive and boring. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/25/23 Full Review Jace E Despite its flaws, I absolutely love this film. From the first scene in the MIT classroom with Ben's explanation of variable change, I knew that I was hooked. Watching intelligent people outsmart an unbeatable system is enthralling and exciting. Jim Sturgess had a strong performance as the socially awkward yet genius mathematician and Spacey's deliberate and controlling mentor was well executed. While the climax was slightly underwhelming and the character development was nonexistent for any student not named Ben, I was still invested in the story itself. Similar to Free Guy and Ready Player One, I was a little bored with moments in the "real world"; in this film, the "real world" being Boston with the game being the casino life in Las Vegas. It was especially interesting to see the tonal shifts in both behavior and color as the characters bounced from one setting to the other. In spite of the weaknesses in storytelling, 21 is an anxiety driven, edge-of-your-seat film that I find myself repeatedly drawn to. The precept of the characters not gambling but following a specific set of rules and playing a system was fascinating to me. It is because of this intriguing premise that I am continually drawn back to this film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/17/23 Full Review Emmanuel A a film that shoots the beautiful atmosphere of 2008, a beautiful photography that will make you feel the feelings of the characters, well-developed characters, a concluded drama of the actors, it is indeed cinema Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/17/23 Full Review Robert W This would have been better if the story would a focused on the actual math vs game or how the little guy could have an edge. However, it was watered down like most scripts with obligatory romance and unneeded melodrama. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/11/23 Full Review Sean S This movie had a lot of potential with a good cast, but instead is a simple normal melodrama that happens to be centered around Vegas and blackjack. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/04/23 Full Review Edgar M One of my favorites movies. I think is a really entertaining movie. Las Vegas , rich people and a master plan makes it fun. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      21

      21: Official Clip - How to Count Cards 21: Official Clip - How to Count Cards 2:39 21: Official Clip - Escape from Las Vegas 21: Official Clip - Escape from Las Vegas 2:21 21: Official Clip - Beaten by the Pit Boss 21: Official Clip - Beaten by the Pit Boss 3:36 21: Official Clip - Illegal Gambling 21: Official Clip - Illegal Gambling 2:48 21: Official Clip - Secret Blackjack Club 21: Official Clip - Secret Blackjack Club 3:58 21: Official Clip - Counting Cards 21: Official Clip - Counting Cards 3:05 21: Official Clip - I Want Micky 21: Official Clip - I Want Micky 2:20 21: Official Clip - Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner 21: Official Clip - Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner 1:53 21: Official Clip - Drunken Fight 21: Official Clip - Drunken Fight 2:57 21: Official Clip - Double-Con 21: Official Clip - Double-Con 3:05 View more videos

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      Critics Reviews

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      Peter Bradshaw Guardian As ever with gambling films, it's difficult to convey the thrill of winning at second hand; the human-interest complications are unconvincing and Spacey himself, I'm afraid, is a lugubrious and deadening presence. Rated: 2/5 Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor If only director Robert Luketic and screenwriters Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb had not opted for glitz. As filmmakers, they're playing for very low stakes. Rated: C Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Jim Schembri The Age (Australia) A breezy, fast-moving romp that trades well on its appeal as a glitzy caper movie about high-end scam artists without losing sight of its simmering greed-is-not-so-good theme. Rated: 3/5 Jun 7, 2008 Full Review Luis Miguel Cruz Cine Premiere Well made. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 3/5 Jul 21, 2021 Full Review José Ignacio Cuenca Cinemanía (Spain) An entertaining film that... as simple as it is passionate. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 3/5 Nov 6, 2020 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Kate Bosworth, who's made three films with Spacey now, seems to fare the worst here. Rated: 2.0/4.0 Sep 24, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), a brilliant student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, needs some quick cash to pay his tuition bills. He joins a group of students who, under the leadership of unorthodox professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), use their math skills to win big in Las Vegas. Seduced by a beautiful teammate (Kate Bosworth) and loads of money, Ben learns that the stakes are higher than he ever imagined when he crosses paths with casino enforcer Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne).
      Director
      Robert Luketic
      Executive Producer
      William S. Beasley, Brett Ratner, Ryan Kavanaugh
      Screenwriter
      Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb
      Distributor
      Sony Pictures Entertainment
      Production Co
      Trigger Street Productions, Michael De Luca
      Rating
      PG-13 (Sexual Content|Partial Nudity|Some Violence)
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Mar 28, 2008, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 16, 2012
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $81.2M
      Sound Mix
      SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SRD
      Aspect Ratio
      Scope (2.35:1)
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