21 [2008]

See Larger Image	List Price: £19.99 Our Price: £5.98 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Starring: Jim Sturgess, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth Directed By: Robert Luketic Average Customer Rating:


Audience Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Binding: DVD EAN: 5035822893030 Format: PAL Label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2008-09-08 Running Time: 119 Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: 2008
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Editorial Reviews: 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 --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, frequenting exclusive clubs and feeling on top of the world. Ben even gets the girl: a comely fellow card counter played by Kate Bosworth. Despite all the success, Ben feels ethically compromised and indeed director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde, Across the Universe), 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
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: good idea, bad execution Comment: Sorry but I wasn't in the least bit interested or absorbed by this movie. There was just something so stupid about the whole idea that by the time the film was ending I really couldn't stand it anymore!I actually cant think of a single thing I liked about this movie, except maybe the end, because then I got some peace! Customer Rating: Summary: 21 Comment: '21' is a good film looking at a group of college students who engage in a card counting 'scam' in Vegas. Based on true events you can't help but be impressed by the skill involved and very quickly you are drawn in to the idea and how they go about it. The performances are all pretty solid and this film is also well directed. This is one of those films you don't have to think too hard for and can just sit back and enjoy the ride. It's not earth shaking, but nor does it try to be. It's just a good film with an interesting idea and enough twists and turns to keep you engaged for the duration. Worth a look. Customer Rating: Summary: Bust Comment: I wasn't bowled over by this story of MIT nerds getting rich on Blackjack. The concept is good, as I am sure the original series the film is based on (see comments below), but I found myself drifting off at times. Perhaps this is because I couldn't connect with most of the characters, including the normally excellent Kevin Spacey. Laurence Fishburne was the only real star for me. Customer Rating: Summary: It's not as good as the book Comment: I am glad that there is a message at the beginning of the film that this was inspired by the book, Bringing Down the House, and it didn't say based on. The film is not as good as the book, which is fantastic, but it is a very entertaining movie in itself. It would be impossible for the director to fit the book into a film of roughly 2 hours long but what has been left in is brilliant. The film is engaging and at times can be a real adrenaline rush (if you don't know what is going to happen). It did seem a bit rushed at times and there wasn't enough time to work on the characters more but it was an excellent overview of the book. Overall 4 out of 5 because it is a great film on its own. The only gripe is that it is lacking many bits of the book that would make this a 5 star film. Customer Rating: Summary: Loosely Built On True Events Comment: Jim Sturgess sits alongside Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth and others in an adaptation of events in the 1990's that allowed MIT students to form an elaborate scheme to beat the casinos out of millions. The real-life events are loosely similar. The head guy WAS a guy called Mikey. There was a fall-out and the top guy, who was not American but Russian, went on to run his own team, and remains active to this day. The beat downs in the film, are to what I have seen on documentaries and read about, are a little overstated for plot purposes. One pro poker player who was a part, at some point of the MIT team is Andy Bloch. Search for "Breaking Vegas" on pokertube to watch the true story accounts. The film itself is well-acted by Sturgress. I personally found Ben Campbells rise to the top of the team solely down to his math skills a little hard to take seriously, and the fact when resistance is met by a team member he is excluded with no further mention. The end sequence explains and ties everything together cleverly, and explains the technique of commmentary by Campbell throughout. An excellent performance by Sturgess, and he has a big future in film. I think this film could have been stretched out a little, with more development of his friends becoming involved or starting his own team. I did feel it was a little rushed, or perhaps because I wanted more this was a good thing. Open for a sequel, but unlikely due to how it ends. But definitely a film worth watching and I think, buying for your collection. More Reviews