Director
D.J. Caruso
Cast
Al Pacino….Walter Abrams
Matthew McConaughey….Brandon Lang
Rene Russo….Toni Morrow
Armand Assante….Novian
Jeremy Piven….Jerry
Kevin Chapman….Southie
Ralph Garman….Reggie
The Movie
Sports betting is a ridiculously large business, especially football. So who makes the odds? Who helps the betting public make their choices? Brandon Lang of course.
Brandon Lang is a former college football star that had his knee torn apart in his final game. With nowhere left to go, he begins working as a voice for a 900 number, not the dirty kind. The opportunity comes about for Brandon to give his picks for the football weekend and soon Brandon is off to the races. He is almost perfect week in and week out, which gets him noticed by high power sports picker Walter Abrams.
Walter has Brandon come work for him as his hot protégé and soon enough he changes his entire life to fit that he needs to be. He even gets a new name. Perfection is money in this business and John Anthony, the adopted name, is perfect. But what happens if the tide turns? What happens when Brandon gets a little too close to Walter’s wife? It’s enjoyable to watch it all play out.
Pacino is the absolute master of the screen in this movie. If you have to find a source for all the emotion you might be able to have in this movie, he is it. This is not to say that McConaughey does a bad job. He turns in a respectable performance, as does Rene Russo. But any moment they have with Pacino on screen (which is most of them), they are easily overshadowed. Pacino is just that good.
The movie itself, although based on true events, seems just a bit over the top. While Brandon has no problems playing the character of John Anthony, his upbringing suggests that he would and who he is as a man suggests the same. It may just be a case of getting a big head, but it seems a little out of reality.
Score: 8/10
The Video
Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 – Looks good to me.
The Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 – Sounds good to me.
The Extras
The Making of Two for the Money – The standard feature about getting the movie done. Nothing too big of note, but it’s a nice little feature.
Insider Interview: The Real Brandon – An interview with Brandon Link, who inspired the movie. Now this is some interesting material and worth watching especially if you have the problems that I do.
Deleted Scenes – If they meant anything they wouldn’t be deleted.
Theatrical Trailer and TV Spots – It’s a movie, they needed to promote it.
Score: 7/10
