21

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21

PG-13

Released Mar 28, 2008

2h 2m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

36%

Tomatometer

168 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

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).

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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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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

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Faiz D

An entertaining thriller.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

Full Review

Topher S

Rounders for the next generation. Semi-true story but watch out for all the white-washing. A fun watch, but too focused on the characters rather than the more interesting gambling story thread.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/25/25

Full Review

Julian P

I'm somewhat closer to the popcorn meter than the critics here. It's slick but a little frustrating - maybe I just wanted them to get away with it scott free, maybe it seems a little unlikely that Laurence Fishburne tortures card counters in a back store room, maybe the lead character just isnt likeable enough to want him to win. It's still a bloody good movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/23/24

Full Review

David S

Honestly didn't expect for this movie to be that good. I really liked the whole plot of the movie and the way things came out at the end but the whole experience watching this was unreal. Would reccomend it 11/10.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

William B

The best gambling movie that I've seen

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/11/24

Full Review

Dan R

Not to farfetched, moved away from a generic gambling movie, casting was good, enjoyed the story enough to watch more than a few times.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/08/24

Full Review

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Robert Luketic

Director

Jim Sturgess

Ben Campbell

Kevin Spacey

Micky Rosa

Kate Bosworth

Jill Taylor

Aaron Yoo

Choi

Liza Lapira

Kianna

21: Official Clip - How to Count Cards

2:39

21: Official Clip - Escape from Las Vegas

2:21

21: Official Clip - Beaten by the Pit Boss

3:36

21: Official Clip - Illegal Gambling

2:48

21: Official Clip - Secret Blackjack Club

3:58

21: Official Clip - Counting Cards

3:05

21: Official Clip - I Want Micky

2:20

21: Official Clip - Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

1:53

21: Official Clip - Drunken Fight

2:57

21: Official Clip - Double-Con

3:05

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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
Producer: Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey, Michael De Luca
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
Runtime: 2h 2m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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