Two for the Money
Directed by: D.J. Caruso
Starring: Al Pacino, Rene Russo, Matthew McConaughey.
Rated: R for pervasive language, a scene of sexuality and a violent act.
Parental Notes: This isn’t a film for kids, but mature teens who can appreciate the tension of a grand-tragedy-slash-character-study will likely find it fascinating.
About a third of the way into “Two for the Money,” Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) stands up in front of a gamblers anonymous meeting and tells the gathered men and women that their problem isn’t that they love gambling, it’s that they have a compulsion to lose. If only they placed good bets, he says, they’d be fine. His comments are well-received until one of the members recognizes him as a purveyor of sports betting tips.
Loss is at the heart of “Two for the Money” — both the gambling addict’s compulsion to lose and the fall that all too often comes after a meteoric rise. Indeed, the film is a twofer itself — it’s simultaneously a tale of a Brandon’s rise and fall within the sports betting tip world and a character study of Walter, his mentor.
Brandon is a former college football player whose career ended when he came between two tacklers headed opposite ways. He finds work in the sports betting world where his detailed knowledge of college football enables him to predict the outcomes of games with startling accuracy. Walter Abrams, the head of a major sports betting tip firm in New York, recruits Brandon to be his new second-in-command.
Soon Brandon has a new persona and a new name, and is practically on fire with talent. He’s making money hand over fist, both for himself and for Walter. Of course, those of us who know the signs of a classical tragedy spot hubris in the way he starts to believe his own press. Walter shows plenty of hubris too, smoking after popping his nitroglycerine pills for an attack of angina and constantly upping the stakes in the grand game of life. It’s not so much a question of whether it will all come crashing down as when and how badly.
Al Pacino is in fine form here, playing the exuberant, optimistic Walter with the natural energy we’ve come to expect. Sure, he chews the scenery once or twice, but that’s why we love him. Walter is a deeply flawed character, and Pacino brings him to life with a completeness that is all too rare in films these days. But then, if there’s one thing you can count on from Pacino, it’s a fearless, no-holds-barred performance.
Pacino is given excellent company onscreen. Rene Russo is a joy to watch as Toni, Walter’s wife, and for once she’s allowed to look her age while she’s heating up the screen. This may be because Toni, as we learn, has a rough past, but this reviewer would like to think it’s because maybe, just maybe, Hollywood has finally realized that a sixty-four year old actor like Pacino should be paired with a woman within a decade and a half of his age. Russo can match Pacino’s intensity, and they make a fantastic leading pair.
McConaughey is a perfect choice for Brandon, and manages to hold his own onscreen with Russo and Pacino without straining. He brings both Brandon’s uncertainty in a new environment and his determination to life and delivers a solid performance. Some actors, put onscreen with a giant like Pacino, would quail, but McConaughey rises to the challenge. It’s like watching the new kid in the group do a complex routine with two experienced jugglers and pull it off with flair.
“Two for the Money” is a terrific drama and a fascinating look inside the world of sports betting. Think “Wall Street,” but with football games instead of stocks. This is no lightweight flick, and those in search of mindless entertainment or light comedy would be better off looking elsewhere.