21

Factual error: Jill tells Ben that she has a suite at the Hard Rock and asks if he would like to see it. In the next scene it shows her looking out the window (presumably at the Hard Rock) and seeing the fountains of the Bellagio. This is not possible as these two resorts are almost two miles apart on different roads.

Factual error: In the scene when Ben was at the blackjack table, he had blackjack and if you look carefully at the chips that he received, he received 2 $5,000 chips, 2 $1,000 chips and a $500 chip for a total of $12,500. Blackjack pays 3 to 2, so there is no way you could have a $12,500 payout on a blackjack. Ben would have had to bet $8,333.33 in order to get a payout of $12,500, which would have been impossible.

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Suggested correction: The actual bet that he made was for $25,000, so if you look carefully, there were 5 blue chips ($5,000) and next to it was another $25,000 in $5,000 chips, and then the $12,500 extra, for a total of $37,500.

Factual error: When they first arrive at the casino, Ben falls down the stairs with his suitcase into the casino. He would have never been able to walk into a casino with a suitcase. The guard would have stopped him right away and told him that he couldn't bring it in.

Visible crew/equipment: In the very beginning of the movie, Ben is seen riding his bike over the bridge in an aerial shot. Near the top of the screen, if you look carefully at the end of the bridge you can see a police barricade at the end of the bridge. It is there because the bridge is closed for filming.

More mistakes in 21

Kianna: Everybody knows to split eights. My grandmother splits eights.

More quotes from 21

Trivia: When Cole is beating up Ben for counting cards, before it changes to the next scene, you can see Cole's arm stop for a brief second, which gives away that there is more to that scene.

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Question: I was under the impression, although I may be wrong, that winnings in Vegas are taxed over a certain amount, and that this is done in the casino when cashing out. At the end of the film, Lawrence Fishburn says that the IRS will be wanting to speak to Kevin Spacey, but how were they able to cash out the amounts they won whilst using fake id's? It doesn't mention it in the book either - I know for the purposes of the film this is soemthing they can gloss over, but I was wondering if it would be possible to win the amounts they are talking about and simply walk out with the cash? I know in one part they cash it in in smaller amounts, but surely the casino would be aware of a huge win on one of the tables, and would be expecting a big cash out?

Answer: Gambling winnings are taxable, but using fake IDs was one way of getting around the IRS. It was also mentioned in the book that the team would keep chips until their next Vegas trip to avoid cashing out. They would also exchange money with each other so everyone would come under the $10K limit before the casino had to file a Currency Transaction Report. Also, there is no reason not to assume they would place some of their winnings as "credit" for their next visit.

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