21 - Counting cards pays off.

Advantages: An interesting story, more so because it is based upon fact.
Disadvantages: A bit predictable towards the end.

...21 I don't know what it say about me, but I like films were people beat the system, for example Ocean's 11, Inside Man etc and so I was looking forward to this film for a while. Even more so because the film is based upon fact. 21 is based on the book 'Bringing Down The House' by Ben Mezrich. What's it all about? The film is centres on the character of Ben Campbell played by Jim Sturgess. He is a student at MIT in Boston, who desperately wants to get into Harvard Medical School to become a doctor. The film opens with him being interviewed for a scholarship there, as paying is out of the question. The interview doesn't appear to be going so well, but then the story turns to Ben in maths class and here his natural ability shines. So much so, that he draws the attention of his lecturer played by Kevin Spacey. He is...

LAURALILIA 23.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of 21 (DVD)

The Heaviest 21 Grams in the World

Advantages: Screen performances that blow you away; intriguing disrupted sequence of tale in first hour.
Disadvantages: Storytelling should have gone completely linear towards end; fractured sequence lessens emotional impact.

...Non-linear storytelling seems to be all the rage these days, especially with the success of 'Memento' in 2000, with its reverse plot revelation (which I thought germane to the story of a man struck with amnesia). Thus we have ' 21 Grams ' , which was first released in 2003. In this exploration of American culture and the American psyche by screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and director Alejandro González Iñárritu (both of Mexico), we get a riveting, if intentionally incoherent, cinematic semi-masterpiece from the same duo responsible for the Spanish-language film, 'Amores Perros' in 2000. For ' 21 Grams ', the screenplay was written first in Spanish and then translated into English. Well, the fractured style adopted by director Iñárritu for the entire ' 21 Grams ' does intrigue mightily at first. Like a jumbled-up jigsaw puzzle with all...

zerbine28 16.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of 21 Grams (DVD)

They say you lose 21 grams when you die...

Advantages: Unique narrative, superb performances
Disadvantages: can be confusing for some

...The weight of five nickles, a hummingbird, a chocolate bar. And perhaps a human soul... The year 2004 has produced many films of something I like to call " Substance ". These films, films of " Substance " are those that require your full attention, have no brainless, effects laden set pieces and ultimately leave you satisfied and make you feel somewhat more worldly wise with a feeling that your narrow, mainstream horrizons have been broadened. "21 Grams" is such an example that dares to be different; not conform with hollywood glamour and safeness and create something unique and memorable in one way or another. Made by Mexican director Alejandro Inarritu ("Amores Perros"), 21Grams has a unique 'montage' style of storytelling where you see random clips of a character's life (that has relevence of course), present and future and they...

DarkMark 07.05.2004 · Read review
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Review of 21 Grams (DVD)

~ Don't Gamble just read the cards ~

Advantages: Good plot, Great cast, Nice filming locations
Disadvantages: Predictable, nothing like the book, Slightly boring at times.

...~ Don?t Gamble just read the cards ~ 21 is an action thriller film which was released last year. I had this DVD through the post on Lovefilm at the weekend as the plot sounded interesting. I remember choosing this film to put on my list for two main reasons. One after reading the plot it sounded worth a watch and second I am a huge fan of Kevin Spacey and like all of the films and characters he plays. I also found it interesting that Kevin helped produce this movie as well as star in it. So this weekend my mum and I sat down and watched 21 which I was neither impressed nor disappointed with. I hadn?t actually heard of this film before finding it on Lovefilm which I am quite surprised about really I am not sure if it was out at the cinema for long or it was advertised a lot but I hadn?t come across it. From the plot...

blackmagicstar4 11.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of 21 (DVD)

twenty one blackJack

Advantages: good directing and good acting
Disadvantages: you lose if you gamble or play cards

...21 blackjack main cast Jim Sturgess Ben Campbell Kevin Spacey Prof Mickey Rosa Kate Bosworth Jill Taylor Aaron Yoo Choi Jacob Pitts Jimmy Fisher review Gambling is the main subject surrounding the plot. Twenty one, is a game of Blackjack played at private clubs, amongst friends, and most often at casino's. Usually the hand nearest twenty one wins. If your hand is seventeen and my hand is twenty two or over you win. Easy as that. Now in this film, the plot is about six MIT college students trained at winning blackjack, through a process called 'card counting'. Not gambling lol. They take to Vegas and win million of dollars from the Casino's. Jim Sturgess (Ben Campbell) main aim in life is to win a scholarship at Harvard University costing three hundred thousand dollars. His maths professor Mickey Rosa, wants Campbell...

costas1234 17.04.2008 (31.05.2009) · Read review
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Review of 21 (DVD)

21 Grams - 124 minutes oh suicidal melodrama

Advantages: Its better than sticking pins in your eyes
Disadvantages: This box is way too small to write them in!

..."the weight we lose when we die. The weight of five nickels, of a hummingbird, of a chocolate bar - and perhaps also of a human soul." I hope before I start this review you read the above quote from the film and think - WOW! When I head about this film entitled 21 Grams I was more excited that a small child about to pee her pants. As it is believed this is the weight a person loses at the exact time of death, your soul escaping. Fantastic, I didn't know they story line - I didn't have to. The title alone had secured my ticket purchase. So excited, I took along (and paid for) two friends to enjoy it with me. Written by Guillermo Arriaga and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu these names meant absolutely nothing to me although the cast list of Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Clea Du...

Karla13 22.03.2004 · Read review
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Review of 21 Grams (DVD)

Laying The Cards On The Table

Advantages: Nice easy going enjoyable story
Disadvantages: Winner Winner! Chicken Dinner!

..., almost to the extent of being immaterial. I won't give this top marks, simply because it's so predictable, but it's a film I guarantee that I'll see again, and again, and again. 21 is still at some cinemas the DVD is due out in September. Spencer Hawken 05/08...

sghawken 19.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of 21 (DVD)

A brilliant & entertaining true story

Advantages: Great cast, great story
Disadvantages: The geek gets the girl!

...?t something that I thought I?d be interested in however my Dad vaguely knew the story as it was based on truth & after hearing from him about it, it became more appealing to me & I dragged my boyfriend along to the cinema to watch it with me! We both really enjoyed it, as a I said this isn?t generally the type of film that I?m into & even when I got into the cinema I was still a bit sceptical as to whether I?d enjoy it however to my surprise I loved it. 21 has a brilliant story to it & I liked the fact that it?s based on truth, I like true stories & if it wasn?t a true story then I may not have seen this film. I bought this film as soon as it came out on DVD & I enjoyed it just as much as I did at the cinema. It?s very fast paced which I liked, I tend to have a short attention span when it comes to films & if it hasn?t got going within about 20...

Great_reviewer07 15.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of 21 (DVD)

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Advantages: Great excitement, original story!
Disadvantages: None!

...21 is a movie directed by Robert Lukeric, and was released earlier this year. The movie start among others, a relatively unknown Jim Sturgess in the leading role, along with Kate Bosworth (Blue Crush, Superman Returns), Kevin Spacey (Seven, LA Confidential) ans Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Assault on Precinct 13). The film is based round the casino game of Blackjack, or 21 as it's also known, or more precisely the art of 'counting cards' in the game. Counting cards is a method of tracking whic cards have been used in a game, in order to calculate the odds of winning at a particular table. Ben Campbell (Jim Stirgess) is a brilliant and highly intelligent college student, who needs to find $300,000 in order to realise his dream of attending the prestigeous Harvard school of medicine. Ben's extraordinary maths ability is noticed by...

danmclovin 15.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of 21 (DVD)

Black Jack

Advantages: Intelligent, interesting, Vegas
Disadvantages: None

...If you like Vegas and gambling and have always wondered how to beat the house then 21 is the movie for you. I found it really interesting and was glad it was not just another drinking/gambling/heist movie with Vegas as the back drop. This movie was intelligent and interesting and also had a plot that was sinister at times and very clever. I suppose the reason why this movie was so intelligent is that it's based on a true story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in Bringing Down the House, the best-selling book by Ben Mezrich. For those of you who are not familiar with MIT it is a university, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where truly intelligent students attend. The basic plot of the story goes like this. Ben Campbell, a student at MIT has been accepted into Harvard Medical School but cannot afford the fees. Ben is...

Spottydog11 22.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of 21 (DVD)