21

[teflon]

Loosely based on a true story, very loosely, this film is about a Professor at M.I.T. who teaches a group of his most gifted students how to count cards in Blackjack. They take trips to Vegas at weekends and rake in the dollars at various casinos. The catch is that the casinos are changing over to a biometric facial recognition security system so there isn't much time left before all the casinos become off-limits.

Kevin Spacey plays the teacher and the bright kids are mostly unknown actors but are generally pretty good. Larry Fishbourne plays the tough security guy who eventually spots what they are up to and tries to stop them.

Everything is rosy for a while but eventually egos clash and the high-rolling lifestyle they are living on weekends goes to their heads and the group fractures from within. To say much more about the plot would give the whole story away, but there are a couple of twists at the end when it is revealed that some double-crossing has been going on.

This film does actually reveal enough about the techniques involved in card-counting for you to go out and do it yourself, I already knew the system from a documentary about the real events this was based on but I'm pretty sure I would have got it just from the film alone.

Not the world's greatest ever movie, but if you like cards and pretty young people there are a few worse ways to spend 1hr 54minutes.

Blackjack, Cheating, Mathematical systems, University.

[Detomah]

To me 21 just looks like a slightly updated version of several movies that have come before it. I can't say i'm interested in seeing it, but i'm sure i'll watch it at some point in the future.

The movie has had a right mixed bag of reviews from various places though.

[teflon]

Originally Posted by Detomah

The movie has had a right mixed bag of reviews from various places though.

Sounds about right.

[Puratech]

First question is why is card counting illegal or likely to get u beaten up by the staff. I thought half the skill behind games like poker was knowing the odds, working out what you have, what the chance of them having certain things are etc and essentially counting whats been dealt, or is it because blackjack doesnt shuffle between rounds maybe?


As for the movie, i pretty much enjoyed it, but i saw everything coming and i wasnt even thinking about it. It just seemed really obvious that once the group fell apart they would continue to double cross eachother. The very final sequence with him talking to the guy at harvard though was quite cool.

Overall though, nicely acted, watchable, perhaps a bit long winded and slightly simple plotwise, but quite enjoyable.