21 is a titilating and thrilling movie that doesn't cover the morals involved.
Written: May 06 '08
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Good thrilling movie with some good twists.
Cons: Doesn't cover the moral issue very well.
The Bottom Line: The movie is captivating and has moments of excitment, I felt it didn't cover the moral aspects enough. As a movie it's good - as a social commentary it's poor.
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| quitesimply's Full Review: 21 |
Kevin Spacey is one of my favorite actors, and it was his presence in this movie that made me go watch it, not the previews of the plot. For me anything that glamorizes gambling is a little dangerous, as it seems to teach that there is a way to succeed without hard work. However, before I let my own prejudice judge the movie, I tried to open my mind to the subject matter and tried to watch the movie without pre-judging.
Take a group of very intelligent students, add in a greedy math professor, throw in some sex, drugs, drink and some cards and you have summed up the movie. As we watch Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) begin to teach a ‘gang’ of students the way to break the bank in Las Vegas, we are thrown into a story about self discovery, the gambling and debauchery seemingly just a catalyst that ignites the passion of a few young men and women.
As we begin, with a young Ben deciding that he’s not going to use his mother’s savings to go to Harvard, and as we watch him take a moral downturn, we begin to wonder about the reality of the plot. Someone told me that the movie was based on reality, but the reality was thinly disguised by Hollywood ‘pazzaz’.. We watch as the gang begins to learn systems using their talents for numbers, some devices and something akin to sign language.
As we move to Vegas, and the razzle-dazzle begins to invade their minds we begin to see the seedier side of life; of course, as they begin to win using their tricks and deceit, they soon attract the attention of the local thug who will do anything to stop their scheme. It was interesting to see how the ‘glamour’ of a ‘Hollywood’ type environment can affect the things you do – for instance, a young girl who would not say boo to a goose suddenly begins lap dancing?!
Wrapped somewhere in the plot is an underlying story about Ben’s struggle to come to terms with his desires and passions, and his justifications of what he does – he does it to go to Harvard and feels that it is his right. This just feels a little fake to me, and really seems to be added to give a little moralistic justification for their actions.
Well that’s about all the plot…..I haven’t obviously covered the main themes, you know the loves, the surprises, the brutality etc, but you can understand what will happen I am sure.
In my opinion, while the movie does entertain, the underlying theme that almost justifies what they are doing with a thin plot about a widowed mother not being able to afford her son going to college is a dangerous one – I cringed as I watched my 17 year old daughter enjoying the movie, and wondered if the moral problems were clear to her. While the movie may be having a stab at the young and the rich, it doesn’t really cover the moral issues of cheating, and how it affects society these days.
Don’t get me wrong, as a movie it’s actually quite gripping. It is a typical thriller which does have a few good plot twists and it will keep you interested until the end This is my objectivity coming through – I felt very uncomfortable with the lack of morality, but did put that aside to enjoy the movie if only for simply ‘entertainment’ purpose. For once I wasn’t impressed by Spacey, who seemed to just turn up and read his words rather than act – the character wasn’t convincing.
The cast was full of young ‘pretties’ who will probably adorn many teenage bedroom walls, while this makes the movie nice to watch and titillating in parts, it really diminishes the reality a little. It’s this sense of ‘perfection’ that perhaps loses me the most – having watched movies like Oceans 11 (& 12 & 13) which somehow make an unbelievable story believable by having a variety of characters that are complex and not all ‘pretty’, this movie makes everyone ‘pretty’ and really doesn’t show many character flaws.
If they’d have added some flaws, some ‘uglies’ and perhaps a little more continuity then I may have liked this movie a whole lot more.
Final personal note - I have twin 17 year old daughters, and we have a very open relationship - I enjoy a lot of their music and their culture, and do understand that despite what a lot of parents may think, there is a solid foundation of morals somewhere within! - it's a shame that this doesn't really come through in this movie
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Plot
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Epinions.com ID:
quitesimply
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Member: Simon Cook
Location: Manchester NJ USA
Reviews written: 67
Trusted by: 9 members
About Me:
English Geek in the USA (Sounds like an update on a Sting song?)
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