

An unconvincing exercise in moral complexity, 21 is based on Ben Mezrich's book Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions . Jim Sturgess ( Across the Universe ) plays brilliant, blue-collar scholar Ben Campbell, whose doubts that he'll win a scholarship to Harvard Medical School compel him to join a secret, M.I.T. gang of math whiz kids. Under the silky but chilling command of a math professor (Kevin Spacey), Jim and the others master card counting, i.e., the statistical analysis of cards dealt in blackjack games. The team lives a humdrum existence during the week, but on weekends in Sin City, the students are rolling in cash, going to exclusive clubs, and feeling on top of the world. (Ben even gets the girl: a comely, fellow counter played by Kate Bosworth.) Despite all that success, Ben feels ethically compromised, and indeed director Robert Luketic ( Legally Blonde ), in the old tradition of American movies, plays it both ways where fun vices are concerned. On the one hand, it feels so good; on the other, ahem, we know it's wrong. That studied ambivalence proves wearing after a while, making the most interesting character in the film a casino watchdog played by Laurence Fishburne. A master at reading the emotions of gamblers beating the house with a scam, he's admirable for being good at his job, but repellent for wrecking the faces of counters in casino dungeons. He's all about moral complexity in the tradition of anti-heroes, and a truly provocative element in an otherwise superficial movie. --Tom Keogh Beyond 21 Two-disc Special Edition DVD Read the book 21 was based on UMD for PSP Stills from 21 (click for larger image) 21 is inspired by the true story of a MIT math whiz recruited by a teacher to join a specialized team of card counters in a daring plot to break Vegas. Review: Very good storyline - This is a very good movie about a kid that makes a decision to not exactly play by the rules but absolutely an amazing movie. A lot of it takes place in college and Vegas. Review: Fantastic movie - Fantastic movie of a bunch of math nerds with photographic memory and how they play, it’s Fantastic, makes you wish you were part of the team.


| Contributor | Aaron Yoo, Dana Brunetti, Jacob Pitts, Jim Sturgess, Josh Gad, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Liza Lapira, Michael De Luca, Robert Luketic, Sam Golzari Contributor Aaron Yoo, Dana Brunetti, Jacob Pitts, Jim Sturgess, Josh Gad, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Liza Lapira, Michael De Luca, Robert Luketic, Sam Golzari See more |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,075 Reviews |
| Format | Blu-ray |
| Genre | Drama |
| Initial release date | 2008-03-28 |
| Language | English |
J**R
Very good storyline
This is a very good movie about a kid that makes a decision to not exactly play by the rules but absolutely an amazing movie. A lot of it takes place in college and Vegas.
C**A
Fantastic movie
Fantastic movie of a bunch of math nerds with photographic memory and how they play, it’s Fantastic, makes you wish you were part of the team.
R**H
Why "21" is a Movie Night Winner: it's a slick, smart, thrill-fest that brinfs you for the ride
Amazon Video crew, get ready to hit the jackpot with "21"! This flick isn't just about playing cards—it's a wild ride through Vegas with a bunch of MIT brainiacs who've cracked the code to beating the house. It's slick, it's smart, and it's a total thrill-fest. **Why "21" is Your Next Movie Night Winner:** **For the Card Sharks:** Think you've seen every casino caper out there? "21" ups the ante with real-life drama and a crash course in card counting. Watch these whiz kids from MIT bring down the house with nothing but their smarts and some serious guts. **For the Thrill-Seekers:** This movie keeps you glued to your seat as the team dodges casino bigwigs and the ever-watchful eyes of security—especially as they face off against cutting-edge facial recognition tech. Every hand dealt is a pulse-pounding gamble. **For the Star Gazers:** Kevin Spacey nails it as the mastermind prof, and Jim Sturgess will have you rooting for him from the get-go. The cast is stacked, the tension is high, and the drama is real. **For the Brainy Bunch:** If you dig math and love a good strategy session, "21" is like hitting the learning jackpot. It's a behind-the-scenes peek at the math that can make or break fortunes in Sin City. **For the Drama Lovers:** Strip away the neon lights, and "21" is a story about dreams, desires, and the price of success. It's about what happens when the underdog gets a taste of the high life and how far they'll go to keep it. **The Bottom Line:** "21" isn't just another night at the movies—it's a full-blown Vegas vacation. It's about taking risks, making plays, and living large. So, grab your remote and get ready to play the odds with "21," streaming now on Amazon Video. Bet on it, you won't be disappointed.
L**A
Good Movie, but Missing Subtitles
The movie itself is good and worth watching, with a solid story and engaging moments. However, it’s disappointing that it doesn’t include subtitles or captions in other languages. This can make it difficult for many viewers and may cause some people to skip it altogether. If subtitles are important to you, just be aware of this limitation. Other than that, it’s an enjoyable film.
S**Y
must watch
this is a great movie
S**N
Great casino movie
So, I just watched 21, and honestly, it was a great! It's about these MIT students who learn how to count cards and basically take Vegas for a ride. The whole thing is super intense and exciting, with tons of cool casino scenes. What's crazy is that it's based on a true story, which makes it even more fun to watch. You're rooting for these guys as they try to outsmart the system.
H**N
GREAT GAMBLE TURNING POINT FILM
Ok, with combined of NOW YOU SEE Me 1,2 and any other gambling movies you can think of, you cannot beat this gorgious film. I saw this movie a long long time ago with a priate version and now that I bought the bluray, I watched with the marvelous sight and sound. It was a pure dream to me. First of all the picture and sound was so perfect that I almost felt like I was in the middle of the most best theater in the world. The movie is about this MIT student that has no money and yes he is very bright. He meets this professor who runs this card game team gambling in Las Vegas earning millions of dollars every weekend. They make a dream team. The guy need to go to Harvard and needs scholarship and ticket which is a essay that is so unique that it should be so shocking to convince the professors in the Harvard to make him hell yeah you should be in our school all right. Seeing him so bright Kevin Spacey the professor asks him Jim Sturgess (Edward Norton look actor) to join their dream team. They hell earn money all right at the beginning. But at one time, Jim messed it up by not counting the cards. He took risk and loose about 200,000$ in the spot. Being really pissed, the professor took everything away from him. The money that he is saving about 300,000$ and the ticket to Harvard and even the position from MIT as a student. Now he got nothing, I mean nothing. All he got is the girl he ment at the team which is a dream of his life. Now what he should do is a revenge and take back his lost soul. But he has other plans and there was a secret suggestion before. Sounds interesting? Watch this movie for chirst sake. It's a great film that earned around $$82,000,000 only from the Us without any star casting unknown director.
S**Y
21 - Math is Amazing
The first time I saw 21 on video I really enjoyed it, and I didn't quite see all of the twists coming so I gave it a fairly decent rating (7/10). Coming back into it again on this re-watch on Blu-ray, I figured I'd be enjoying a clever little Vegas number that would entertain at the very least, because I remembered where the movie was headed. What I found is that this movie has not aged well, and in fact, may have never been that great to begin with. I'll admit that I also am a believer in separating the art from the artist, but watching Kevin Spacey on film for the first time since his whole controversy does not help this film in the slightest. The biggest problem with this film is the lack of emotion put in by Jim Sturgess. I've never been particularly fond of him as an actor, but during the late 2000s he was a big name in other movies such as Across the Universe, in which he's actually pretty decent. He's serviceable and believable as a young, somewhat quirky man, but something about his performance in this one doesn't seem genuine. Kevin Spacey also plays the type of "scumbag" character that he seemed to play so well, and now we all know why that may have been. Regardless, he probably is the driving character in the film, and I think his story with Laurence Fishburne should have gotten more play before the end of the film. I think Laurence's character, who is the enforcer in the chain of casinos in Vegas that keep falling victim to card counters, is probably the best in the movie and he has so little screen-time. The story of Kevin's Mickey and Laurence's Cole ends up being the driving force of the whole over-arching plot, and perhaps why it feels like it's just dropped in your lap at the most convenient time because the filmmakers wanted a twist. I would have sacrificed the twist for depth of story in this instance, because this movie has nothing going for it the second time around. Some of the other young actors in this group of players have their rare moments to shine, but Jim is left with the ultimate burden of being the "big player" in two ways. The real story is probably a lot more interesting, as this film is based on a book about a group of MIT students who hit Vegas hard using math and card-counting. It doesn't seem that challenging, but then you go and actually sit and play a game of Blackjack and find that it's much more complex. Due to the nature of the game and the way it's dealt in casinos, it can actually be quite awhile before you get to a count that's high enough for the big bets. I thought the Special Features were interesting in showing how card counting works, as well as one that shows how they filmed the opening bridge shot, which in the commentary they mention as one of their favorites and talk it up like it meant a lot for them to achieve. Overall, this movie is worth a rental viewing if you've never seen it before and if you're into movies about poker or casino games. I think of other movies like Rounders when it comes to purchase-worthy poker films, but ultimately it's not that bad of a movie. I bought this Used from a seller on Amazon and it even came with the original Blu-ray insert as pictured, so I was quite surprised with the condition of this item upon arrival. This movie is another example of how math can do so many extraordinary things, even if this case it's in relation to a casino game. The Blu-ray copy was in perfect condition and all features played exactly as they should. I tried to play the 21 Blackjack Game featured on here but it didn't work in my Blu-ray drive, though I can really play that anywhere so that is not contributing to the 3-star rating. I hope that this review serves you better than the top review on this page right now... Not sure how you can denounce math as essentially meaningless, and then state that logic and our God-given spirits are more definitive... And that logic is basically math in conceptual form, what? 2+2 will ALWAYS equal 4, but logic would state that two 3's make an 8 because they each look like one half of that number on paper. If anything, watch this movie to spite that review that somehow got through the Amazon censors.
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