21
Certificate: 12A
Genre: Drama
Who's in it: Jim Sturgees, Kevin Spacey
Chris' Verdict on 21: 7/10- "Interesting and funny but a bit long. The general idea for the plot is
bound to spark interest and I am many will try and fail to copy and use the techniques shown in
this movie. 21 seems to get a bit bogged down in the middle with all the card playing. However,
the twists are good and unexpected. 21 is not as good as I expected but worth going to see."
Ellie's Verdict: 8/10- "I really enjoyed 21. The acting was good, Jim Sturgees performed well
considering this was first lead role and Kevin Spacey was excellent as the evil man as always.
The way in which the scam is executed was intriguing. There is plenty to keep you interested
even if 21 is a little too long."
For More Information Read The Review
Release Date: 11th April 2008
21 Movie Trailer

21 Movie Review
21 is a story of a young maths student named Ben Campbell who needs a way of
raising $300000 so he can go to Harvard. He joins a group of excellent Maths
students, who with their teacher, played by Kevin Spacey, decide to use their skills
to win huge amounts of money in Las Vegas by counting cards. As the story
develops the situation becomes far more complicated than he could have ever
imagined.
The plot is quite interesting and everyone loves to watch a film where the house is
beaten. However, for me there is not enough plot development in the middle stages
of 21. While it is important to set the scene, which they did, there was a little too
much of them winning. The middle of the film could have been cut down by at least
10 minutes which would have made 21 a much more enjoyable movie. However, the
character development is good and while the ending is quite predictable the way in
which it is executed is original. The plot is good and this makes for an interesting
film. However, for me it was a little long.
A major plus point for 21 is the humour. The co-stars all give good performances
and provide much needed humour. Ben Campbell's best friend is very funny and so
are the other members of the card counting team. The jokes are tasteful and
seemed to appeal to everyone because the whole cinema was laughing.
The next point to examine is the acting and directing in 21. Jim Sturgess gives a
believable performance while he is nothing spectacular but then that is what his role
demands. It will be interesting to see if he can cope with more demanding roles.
Kevin Spacey is excellent as you would expect and he plays a witty and shrewd
character as always. Kevin Spacey is also one of the producers of 21. Kate
Bosworth looks gorgeous and provides an ok performance while again nothing
spectacular. The directing was good although some of the song choices were
questionable nevertheless it was a well constructed film. 21 focuses more on the
actual card playing rather than demanding dialogue from the cast.
21 has a number of little flaws that make parts of the film unrealistic but you have to
ignore them to enjoy the film. For example, the hand signal to draw a player to the
table is hardly subtle and would noticed by even the most unobservant security
chief. You will see the flaws but you have to ignore them which seems to be the case
in most Hollywood blockbusters. Moreover, whenever a player sat at the table all the
cards were 10 or above. While the deck is heavy, it does not happen like that!
funny movie. However, some could find it boring and the film should have definitely
been 10 minutes shorter. 21 is funny, has a decent plot, and is easy to follow.
Ultimately, if you enjoy films like Ocean's 11 or simply liking seeing the system beat
then you will enjoy 21 and should go and see it.
21 Reader's Comments
yaleboi: 21 was way too long for me and does
not deserve box office success.
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