| Photos (see all 74 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 16 videos) |
| Jim Sturgess | ... | Ben Campbell | |
| Kevin Spacey | ... | Prof. Micky Rosa | |
| Kate Bosworth | ... | Jill Taylor | |
| Aaron Yoo | ... | Choi | |
| Liza Lapira | ... | Kianna | |
| Jacob Pitts | ... | Jimmy Fisher | |
| Laurence Fishburne | ... | Cole Williams | |
| Jack McGee | ... | Terry | |
| Josh Gad | ... | Miles Connoly | |
| Sam Golzari | ... | Cam | |
| Helen Carey | ... | Ellen Campbell | |
| Jack Gilpin | ... | Bob Phillips | |
| Donna Lows | ... | Planet Hollywood Dealer #1 | |
| Butch Williams | ... | Planet Hollywood Dealer #2 | |
| Jeffrey Ma | ... | Planet Hollywood Dealer Jeff | |
| Frank Patton | ... | Planet Hollywood Floor Manager | |
| Steven Richard Vezina | ... | Red Rock Dealer #1 | |
| Chaska T. Werner | ... | Red Rock Dealer #2 | |
| Kyle Morris | ... | Red Rock Dealer #3 (as Kyle D. Morris) | |
| Frank DeAngelo | ... | Red Rock Host | |
| Marcus Weiss | ... | Red Rock Valet | |
| Anthony DiMaria | ... | Hard Rock Doorman | |
| Christopher Michael Holley | ... | Philosophical Gambler (as Christopher Holley) | |
| Scott Clark Beringer | ... | Big Shot (as Scott Beringer) | |
| Terasa Livingstone | ... | Russian's Girlfriend | |
| Jeffrey J. Dashnaw | ... | Russian Mafioso (as Jeff Dashnaw) | |
| Colin Angle | ... | Professor Hanes | |
| Supriya Chakrabarti | ... | Professor | |
| Bradley Thoennes | ... | Warren | |
| Alice Lo | ... | Chinese Woman #2 | |
| Sally Livingstone | ... | Chemistry Review Girl | |
| Henry Houh | ... | Chinatown Dealer | |
| Frank Chen | ... | Chinatown Host | |
| Spencer Garrett | ... | Stemple | |
| Celeste Oliva | ... | Airport Screener | |
| Tom McGowan | ... | Husband | |
| Ruby Hondros | ... | Wife | |
| Christian Mello | ... | Drunk Dude #1 | |
| Gregory Seymore | ... | Drunk Dude #2 | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Jessi Shuttleworth | ... | Friend | |
| Christopher Tranchina | ... | Flight Attendent | |
| Kris Williams | ... | Friend of Jill | |
| Seba Johnson | ... | Airport Attendant (uncredited) | |
| Lyralen Kaye | ... | College Mom (uncredited) | |
| Ernell Manabat | ... | Red Rock Doorman (uncredited) | |
| Alexandra McDougall | ... | Student (uncredited) | |
| Billy Silvia | ... | Casino Security Team (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Robert Luketic | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Peter Steinfeld | (screenplay) and | |
| Allan Loeb | (screenplay) | |
| Ben Mezrich | (book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions") | |
Original Music by | |||
| David Sardy | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Russell Carpenter | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Elliot Graham | |||
Casting by | |||
| Lauren Grey | (as Lauren Gray) | ||
| Francine Maisler | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Missy Stewart | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| James F. Truesdale | (as James Truesdale) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Tracey A. Doyle | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Luca Mosca | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Marleen Alter | .... | makeup artist | |
| Kelly Belmont | .... | assistant makeup artist | |
| Gloria Pasqua Casny | .... | key hair stylist: Las Vegas | |
| Elizabeth Cecchini | .... | key hair stylist | |
| Lucia Mace | .... | hair department head | |
| Susan Romero | .... | makeup artist | |
| Trish Seeney | .... | key makeup artist | |
| Sherryn Smith | .... | additional makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Sharyn Shimada-Huggins | .... | production supervisor | |
| Bryan Thomas | .... | unit production manager | |
Sound Department | |||
| Gary C. Bourgeois | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Michael J. Broomberg | .... | foley artist | |
| Brian Copenhagen | .... | boom operator | |
| Laura R. Harris | .... | dialogue editor (as Laura Harris Atkinson) | |
| Gary A. Hecker | .... | supervising foley artist | |
| Howard London | .... | adr mixer | |
| Bob Newlan | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Greg Orloff | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Eric Thomas | .... | sound utility | |
| Eric Thompson | .... | adr mixer | |
| Michael D. Wilhoit | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Wade Wilson | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Scott Wolf | .... | sound designer | |
| Peter Gleaves | .... | adr mixer (uncredited) | |
| Fred Peck III | .... | sound mix technician (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Skip Burrows | .... | special effects specialist | |
| Jeremy Dominick | .... | special effects | |
| Scott Dwyer | .... | special effects technician | |
| Matt Kutcher | .... | special effects supervisor | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Chris Bankoff | .... | lead compositor: Sway Studio | |
| Brent M. Bowen | .... | digital compositor | |
| Daniel Buck | .... | digital artist: Sway Studio | |
| John Cairns | .... | digital compositor: Gray Matter FX | |
| Keely Colcleugh | .... | previsualization artist | |
| Harry Eisenstein | .... | digital compositor | |
| Myung Kim | .... | compositor | |
| Colin Liggett | .... | lead compositor | |
| Margaux Mackay | .... | visual effects supervising producer | |
| Gray Marshall | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Rob Meyers | .... | digital artist: Sway Studio | |
| Christopher Nichols | .... | visual effects supervisor: Sway Studio | |
| Madhava Reddy | .... | digital intermediate | |
| Greg Tsadilas | .... | visual effects: Sway Studio | |
| Laura Zentil | .... | visual effects previs producer | |
Stunts | |||
| Richard Bucher | .... | stunt double | |
| Freddie Hice | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Casey O'Neill | .... | stunt double (stunt double) | |
| Jason Rodriguez | .... | stunts | |
| Scott Workman | .... | stunts | |
Casting Department | |||
| Michele Berumen | .... | casting assistant | |
| Matt Bouldry | .... | casting assistant | |
| Deanna Brigidi | .... | casting associate | |
| Elizabeth Chodar | .... | casting assistant | |
| Billy Dowd | .... | extras casting | |
| Peter Dudgeon | .... | casting assistant | |
| Marisa Kushner | .... | extras casting assistant | |
| Ariana Natale | .... | extras casting intern | |
| Carolyn Pickman | .... | location casting | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Johanna Argan | .... | costumer: Kevin Spacey | |
| Caroline Errington | .... | costume supervisor | |
| Molly Grundman | .... | key costumer | |
| Parrish Kennington | .... | set costumer | |
| Vanessa Knoll | .... | set costumer | |
| Sara Mills-Broffman | .... | costume buyer | |
| Kaite Phillips | .... | wardrobe assistant | |
| Andrew Poleszak | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Barbara Dalton Rotundo | .... | costume production assistant | |
| Taryn Walsh | .... | key costumer | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Zahida Bacchus | .... | digital intermediate producer | |
| Douglas A. Degrazzio | .... | digital imaging technician | |
| Mike DeGrazzio | .... | digital imaging technician | |
| Liza D. Espinas | .... | first assistant editor (as Liza Espinas-Regnier) | |
| Mark Hartzell | .... | assistant editor | |
| Stephen Nakamura | .... | digital film colorist | |
| Reza Amidi | .... | digital conforming and opticals (uncredited) | |
| John Hirota | .... | digital intermediate editor (uncredited) | |
| Jim Passon | .... | color timer (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Carlton Kaller | .... | music editor | |
| Jason Ruder | .... | music editor | |
| David Sardy | .... | music supervisor | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Howard Bachrach | .... | transportation captain | |
| Bob Carnes | .... | transportation captain | |
| Steven Docherty | .... | transportation dispatcher | |
| William O'Brien Sr. | .... | transportation coordinator | |
| William O'Brien | .... | transportation coordinator | |
| Dan Romero | .... | transportation coordinator | |
| Michael Sean Ryan | .... | transportation co-captain | |
| Roger Wooge | .... | transportation | |
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| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
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Considering the risky pleasure generally associated with gambling and the seductive thrill of watching a heist or scam unfold, it should come as no surprise that 21, a film which combines the two aforementioned premises should excel at being enjoyable. And while the film may be very familiar ground to anyone with in any experience with Ocean's Eleven style crime capers, and the majority of the film's plot points verge on being almost laughably predictable, it is executed with enough exuberant flair to make it worthwhile in the midst of its formula.
A slow start gives the necessary exposition as to how a thoroughly ethical young MIT student (Sturgess)'s desperate need for money to attend Harvard medical school leads him to join a team of mathematical geniuses trained in blackjack card counting who routinely rip off Las Vegas casinos during weekends between class. However, this opening proves overlong, overly predictable, and largely unnecessary, dragging far too much before plunging into the film's real fun as Sturgess and his team are engulfed by the seductive glamour of Vegas and the thrill of the huge monetary takes. Some judicious editing, clearing away such unnecessary subplots (such as a robotics competition with Sturgess' tiresomely stereotypical nerdy friends) could have resulted in a far more streamlined and faster paced film.
Some viewers may take offence to the "Hollywoodizing" of the MIT team, with team members of different ethnicity largely shoved to the background in favour of the typically gorgeous Caucasian leads, a disconcertingly common practice in modern day cinema. However, the flashy MTV style cinematography and editing ably capture the engrossing spectacle of Vegas, and once the film gets going, it would be difficult to deny the sheer enjoyment of being swept up in the heady rush of quick wealth and all of its hedonistic trappings.
The film's quality cast add credulity to the frequently underwritten characters they portray. Jim Sturgess once again impresses as the ethical math prodigy slowly corrupted by a world of superficial glamour, his endearing charm putting an intriguing enough take on the "troubled but well meaning hero" archetype. As one might expect, Kevin Spacey effortlessly steals the show as the charismatic but ruthless professor managing the MIT card counting team, and Spacey's easygoing yet commanding presence is a profound boost to the film. Kate Bosworth contributes a typically flat performance, but given her token 'inevitable love interest' role, she fails to detract much from the film's overall quality. Lawrence Fishburne adds class, much needed dramatic weight and moments of grim humour to his antagonistic burly head of casino security, gradually catching on to the MIT team's scamming.
While the age old adage of 'style over substance' certainly holds true here, 21 may essentially epitomize the modern Hollywood crime caper film, but the formula hasn't quite run dry enough to overly detract from the enjoyment factor. The film's snappy visuals and strong casting are mostly enough to make up for a largely uninspired and frequently weak script. However, fans of similar works will not be disappointed, and for those willing to forgive the film's frequent delving into the wells of convention and accept entertainment over profundity, 21 should prove an ideal watch.
-7/10