Two for the Money

There is little doubt that since time began as soon as two or more men played any form of game or sport someone was on the side lines betting on the outcome. Whether it is legal or illegal where you happen to live you can be sure there is a lot of action on any given game. This is a multi-billion dollar business made even more available by such advances in technology as the telephone and now the internet. A natural outgrowth of all this money at stake is any serious gambler wants to get the edge on their bets. Like many young men Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) grew up with dreams of being a star professional football player. In college he was at the top of his game, headed for a certain future as a starting quarterback for the NFL until one play resulted in his knee being blown out. Although he could no longer play the game he loved his knowledge of football was staggering. Brandon is reduced to eking out a living working phone scams for a 1-900 number in Las Vegas, something that is far from the glory on the gridiron that he though would be his. When he is moved up from celebrity messages to making picks for the weekend football games he discovers that he has a real talent for football handicapping. Although Brandon shows no real skill for many things he is a certifiable servant when it comes to picking winners, his average is well over eighty per cent. Talent such as this can not be hidden for long and Brandon comes to the attention of Walter Abrams (Al Pacino), owner of a cable network that provides odds making for sporting events. There is a little loophole in the law at work here. While many locations have outlawed sport betting there is no crime in suggesting who they think the winner will be in return for a fee. Since the profits are taken from the winnings of the clients the better your advice the more money flows into the company’s coffers and the more gamblers seek your service. As soon as Abrams gets wind of Brandon’s win rate he whisks the former jock away from Las Vegas to luscious offices in New York City. Given a nom de voyage of John Anthony, Brandon finds that he has more notoriety then he ever could have imagined. Brandon is provided with an apartment in Brooklyn with Abrams’ wife Toni (Rene Russo) and their six-year old daughter Julia (Chrislyn Austin). Even though Abrams is pulling down some serious dollars Toni still insists on working in her hair salon. As Abrams touts his new find around the office resentment grows in the ranks as the new popular kid starts to take over. Brandon is not intended to stay on the top of the world though. The bubble bursts, as all bubbles do when Brandon hits a bad streak and money is lost, a lot of money for very powerful people.

To be truthful there are a lot of variations of the themes here. Wall Street did pretty much the same story in 1987, just substitute football and the stock market. After all both are forms of gambling where correct information is the key to success. The relationships shown have been around in many flicks. Brandon looks to Abrams as a mentor, a man who can bring him out of the depths of his second string life to the big times. Abrams has an unusual attachment to Brandon, much closer than most bosses have with any employee. Abrams also has a complex life with Toni. One reason why she hangs on to the beauty shop is she is hedging her bets in case her husband’s business flushes out. What Abrams does not want anyone to know is he has three mortgages on their house. He is a former gambler but since is business is almost always in the red he is just gambling on a far bigger level than he ever has.

This film does a seasoned, powerful cast, if not for them the retread story lines for fall completely flat. Even if this is not a great film it is a Pacino film! Sure, Al Pacino chews the scenery more than a bit but he is one of the all time greatest American actors ever. If anyone can get away with it he can. He does channel his role as the great deceiver Satan in Devil’s Advocate just a touch here. With his charming smile and smooth words no one has a chance against him. Pacino is simply put a force of nature. From the moment the camera first focuses on him Pacino commands the screen. His sheer energy is amazing. He can make the most banal dialogue and turn it into excitement. There are plot holes in the story line that you could drive a SUV through but when Pacino is telling the tale you really don’t care. Matthew McConaughey is the latest of the younger actors set opposite Pacino. McConaughey is perfect as Brandon/John. He is affable, the kind of guy you would hang out with, drinking a few beers and watching the game. His only fault is he spouts endless trivia about the game to the point where it can get annoying. McConaughey does bring his character through some arc of development, starting with this likable guy, through the phase of being the new golden boy to finally learning you are only as good as your last winning pick. Rene Russo is proof positive that an actress who is no longer in her twenties can be sexy. In fact, she is even more attractive now by combining graceful looks with seasoned talent. Here, she is hidden behind the façade of big hair and no nonsense personality. It takes a lot of skill to play the belabored wife of an Al Pacino character but Ms Russo does it and does it well.

Director D.J. Caruso has some impressive credits with episodic television. Included in his resume are episodes of VR5, Dark Angel and Smallville. His last feature film before this one was taking lives where the plot seemed mired in the midst of prolonged exposition. Some of the same has happened here. The first two acts do a great job of setting the stage and developing the situations. The third act unravels going off the mark at the end. The film starts off at a great pacing but hits a pot hole towards the conclusion. Caruso is great at capturing the emotions of his actors. His ability to frame a scene is excellent, showing the face as the focal point of the moment.

Universal has mastered the transfer to DVD with attention to detail. The anamorphic 2.35:1 is near perfect. The color balance is excellent, properly saturated with clearly defined boundaries. The contrast holds together in even the most rapid move from light to dark. The Dolby 5.1 audio captures the sounds of the city very well. As a native born New Yorker is was great to hear the little touches of all the little noises that make this the city it is. The rear speakers provide a natural ambience with a substantial sound stage. Along with the almost mandatory deleted scenes there is better than usual behind the scenes featurette. This gives a look at what working day by day with Pacino is actually like. Naturally, there is a consideration of what the world of high stakes sports betting is like. This is a good choice to watch during Super Bowl Sunday before the evening’s action starts.

Posted 1/16/06