A great exposé of the sports gambling racket

Rating: 9/10 (21 August 2006)

I should probably clarify right off the bat that I am not a person who is into movies that have sports-related themes at all. I hated Rocky, Young Blood and all of those other flicks that focus on a hero/heroine battling it out in one sports arena or another. But maybe that's one of the reasons why I loved this movie. It doesn't really follow a sport per se, but goes more into the intricacies of sports betting. Yes, you do see football being played and people watching it and cheering the teams on, but as an important part of a much deeper plot.
Al Pacino's performance alone makes this movie worth seeing; his character probably has more twists and turns than even the plot itself, and that's saying a lot. Matthew and Rene are also great in their roles as the people who love him and want to do the right thing by him, even when it means being "cruel to be kind." It's a movie I've enjoyed watching over and over again, which makes you laugh, makes you cry, and, if you've ever bet on sports or called the betting hot lines, will have you cracking jokes about certain well-known personalities in the racket.
A very solid 9 out of 10.