Two for the money (15) (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Two for the money (15)

Like a good vintage wine Al Pacino just gets better with age. And thank goodness for that, because I really have had my fill of sports film and this one has an even bigger disadvantage. Personally I don't go much on watching sport, but here we watch people watching sport, which has to be the equivalent of watching paint dry. But after Pacino's masterly role as Shylock in last year's 'The Merchant of Venice', I vowed to cross coals to see him perform.

When Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) hurt his knee in his last match at college it ended his dream of being a professional football quarterback. It is now six years later and he has a job in Vegas predicting sporting outcomes. His amazing accuracy brings him to the attention of renowned bookie Walter Abrams (Pacino) who runs his own sports betting hotline. Walter offers Brandon a job in New York as his front man. He gives Brandon a new identity and proceeds to transform him into "John Anthony, The Million Dollar Man with a Billion Dollar Plan", showering him with material processions and a new hair cut.

Everything starts off well with Brandon/John making 80% correct predictions and Walter is thrilled. But when Walter is truly convinced his protg can do no wrong Brandon start to lose his gift - or luck depending which way you look at it. Unfortunately by this time Walter has got involved with ruthless entrepreneur and notorious gambler Novian (Armand Assante), with millions of dollars hanging in the balance.Though Walter now doesn't bet himself, being a member of Gamblers Anonymous, he is playing a dicey game with his own dicky heart. But with them both facing losing everything and having already corrupted Brandon's innocence he still tells Brandon, "There's no such thing as too far. You push as far as you can."

As I know absolutely nothing about betting and the story is not very concise, it becomes a little too convoluted for me. But the acting is absorbing, so it didn't matter that much; however a bit more character development wouldn't have gone amiss. Also it would have been just as interesting with half an hour shaved off its running time. Pacino and McConaughey are most entertaining together - the latter has lately improved hugely - though here his rippling biceps are so overpowering it's a trifle distracting. I haven't yet mentioned Walter's wife, recovering drug addict Toni, played by Reno Russo, looking her age, who in real life is married to the film's scriptwriter Dan Gilroy. Toni is an important part of the equation as the story is just as much about a dysfunctional family as it is about corruption. Indeed the best part of the film is when Walter goes to a Gamblers Anonymous meeting. To be honest Walter is such a sleazy piece of work it is all credit to Pacino that one cares what happens to him. I really can't see this film appealing to the masses, but it is a must see for fans of Pacino. 6/10