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21 (2008)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
28 maaliskuu 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 | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win
&
5 nominations
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User Comments:
Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner
more (243 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Jim Sturgess | ... | Ben Campbell | |
| Kevin Spacey | ... | Prof. Micky Rosa | |
| Kate Bosworth | ... | Jill Taylor | |
| Aaron Yoo | ... | Choi | |
| Liza Lapira | ... | Kianna | |
| Jacob Pitts | ... | Jimmy Fisher | |
| Laurence Fishburne | ... | Cole Williams | |
| Jack McGee | ... | Terry | |
| Josh Gad | ... | Miles Connoly | |
| Sam Golzari | ... | Cam | |
| Helen Carey | ... | Ellen Campbell | |
| Jack Gilpin | ... | Bob Phillips | |
| Donna Lows | ... | Planet Hollywood Dealer #1 | |
| Butch Williams | ... | Planet Hollywood Dealer #2 | |
| 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 Geneva) |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) |
Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) |
Hong Kong:IIB |
Taiwan:PG-12 |
Malaysia:U |
Norway:11 (theatrical rating)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The "2.0.9" robotics competition shown in the movie is based on the actual "6.270" programming competition at M.I.T.
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Goofs:
Plot holes: If Ben didn't deposit his winnings in a bank to avoid suspicion or a paper trail, how was he planning on paying Harvard?
more
Quotes:
Micky Rosa:
[to Ben about card counting] What were going to do is perfectly legal and they can't do a single thing about it.
[very next scene: in a concrete room, bare bulb lights, a fist hits a guy who's strapped to a chair: he's bleeding/sweating]
Cole Williams: You think you can beat the system?
[shows guy his meaty fist]
Cole Williams: This *is the system*....*beating you back*
more
[very next scene: in a concrete room, bare bulb lights, a fist hits a guy who's strapped to a chair: he's bleeding/sweating]
Cole Williams: You think you can beat the system?
[shows guy his meaty fist]
Cole Williams: This *is the system*....*beating you back*
more
Movie Connections:
Features V for Vendetta (2005)
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Soundtrack:
Young Folks
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (243 total)
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There are many stories about success based on hard-work and perseverance. There have also been many stories about success based on crime and abandonment of the law. Both of these scenarios can make for great movies -- but when a movie like 21 comes out, it's both great AND fresh. 21 is a movie about success based on locking in on a hole in the system, and exploiting it.
Card counting is legal, and anyone able to do so can take the house's edge away in a game of blackjack. That is the basic premise of 21: A team of intelligent students at MIT structure a team to make vast amounts of money at the blackjack table. They have everything down pat, from the counting to the signals to alert of suspicious casino workers (because if you can believe it, casinos don't like to lose money in such high amounts.) The movie portrays the situation stylishly, perfectly blending in montages and effective music when necessary. Add in some Hollywood "embellishment" such as a particularly harsh head of security (Laurence Fishburne), and you have the making of a good movie on your hands.
It is disappointing that the production team felt the need to re-assign the races of the actual MIT Team (of which the majority was Asian), but that's more of an issue of ethics and sociology. Don't let it ruin a perfectly good movie. Aside from this blunder, 21 is an excellent film.