Sports, Gambling, Pacino and Russo -- What more do you want?

Rating: 8/10 (16 October 2005)

I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and I'm glad I ended up seeing it. If you like sports, gambling and movies, then this is the flick for you.
"Two for the Money" tells the story of ex-College QB Brandon Lang's (Matthew McConaughey) introduction to the multi-billion dollar world of sports betting. Brandon starts out working for 1-900 number company in Las Vegas and soon discovers his ability to predict the results of College and Pro football games at 80% accuracy. This draws the attention of Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) the owner of a large sports advisory service in NY, who hires Brandon and introduces him to the world of big-time sports betting. And that's when the action starts.
Although the story takes place in a sports betting company, and has some great scenes about sports betting, the movie is really about the three main characters -- Walter, his wife Toni (Rene Russo), and Brandon -- and the relationships between them. Each character has their own history and motives, and watching the events unfold is the core of this movie. The performances are great, you get what you have come to expect from Pacino and Russo, and McConaughey also does nice work with his character. Jeremy Piven gets props for his role as Jerry, Brandon's rival at the betting agency.
"Two for the Money" gets 8/10 from me.