Two for the swearing!

Rating: 6/10 (3 July 2006)

As a Newyorker, I refuse to believe that there are people in this city who swear so much that you absolutely can hardly understand a word of what they are saying. That was the case with this film in which Al Pacino (in another shout-fest villainous role) plays a betting chief who one day rescues a former NFL champion (played by Mattew McConaughey) who was abandoned by his father, from the eternal damnation known as working in a cubicle, by flying him out to Newyork and offering him a job as sports betting main protégé. It all seems too good to be true for Brandon Lang (McConaughey) who is suspicious of everything going on around him but allows himself to be recruited anyway. He starts well and climbs up the ladder with such lightening speed that in infuriates a former protégé played by Jeremy Piven whom Brandon eventually replaces. Everything about Al Pacino's sinister Walter Abrams is a test, he tests to the point of no return and eventually does himself in when Brandon (whom Walter makes over to be this alter ego character of John something...) walks away at the top of his game. Jamie King (ever the typecast slut) makes a cameo as a, yeah, you guessed it, slut. Rene Russo, who seems to get only better and more beautiful with age co-stars as Mrs. Abrams, a woman whom Brandon can hardly resist much to the dismay of her husband. And Armand Asante makes a special appearance as a weirdo mob type dude who relieves himself on McConaughey's character! Poor Matthew, here's hoping your payday was very shiny and green! As I said before, the swearing was a little bit much for me, and I'm a Newyorker, so there you go. The film was based on true life events that occurred in the life of the real Brandon Lang, a body building former pro-gambler whom you can see in the special features section of the DVD.