Two for the Money

Al Pacino is fairly adept at playing the Devil. In some cases literally, but mostly he disguises it through characters who exude a know-it-all attitude and would be happy to share their secrets with you but only at a huge cost. In D.J. Caruso's Two For the Money, it's a bit unsettling that Pacino's Walter Abram so closely resembles Gordon Gecko, another greedy, devilish character, from Oliver Stone's superior Wall Street, but the similarities don't end there. Lack of original characters and a formulaic approach to film-making relinquishes Money to the rank of movies that show promise in its trailer but fail to deliver a winner.

Walter, who owns a legal sports gambling advice company, has a protege in Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey), a college quarterback stud who suffered a career-ending leg injury and is left to man a betting hotline in Las Vegas. Walter quickly recognizes Brandon's line-calling talents and seduces him with big payoffs, fast cars, and easy access to even easier women. When Brandon bags a woman at almost exactly the 20 minute mark, it's clear that the formula is in full effect. Unfortunately, the sexual encounter does little to move the story and in no way provides a romance to the plot, thus reducing the scene to exploitation, which is even worse than formulaic.

Naturally, Brandon rises to the top of the company with cash, cars, tailored suits, and a secluded office. But since nobody stays on top for long, Brandon suddenly loses his skill with numbers and his descent is rapid. All the while, Walter, in Iago-like fashion, whispers words of equal parts harshness and encouragement as if he himself has become addicted to his own business and Brandon's role in it. The film, after all, is really about various addictions, but rarely delves into how we weak creatures cope with these compulsive urges that are often accompanied by devastating effects. This slight handling of addiction adds to the debilitating faults of the film. What could have been a bold and stark look at what dwells within each of us, ends up being cast aside like a losing horse race ticket.

As is often the case, and with evidence dating back to John Milton's Paradise Lost, the Devil gets most of the best lines and earns our partial sympathies. Pacino plays Walter with a measured mix of humor, anger and desperation. Even though we feel as though we've seen it all before, it's still hard not to like the guy. McConaughey, on the other hand, plays Brandon with his typical easy, greasy charm, and never convinces the audience to there being something more beneath the surface. When combining his bright white smile, dimples, tanned skin, rock hard bod, and southern drawl, it's pretty clear the demographic for which his character is aimed. Unfortunately, because of the shallowness of his superficial exterior and possibly the memorable influence of his previous roles, McConaughey's Brandon never reaches the levels of complexity the film wants us to believe. As a result, the conclusion is flat and borderline ridiculous.

Sport gambling is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. So much more surrounds it than just the glossy possibility of hitting it big with a few major hauls, and films like Owning Mahoney, with a great performance by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, explore this dark world. Even as a caution tale, Two For the Money fails to strike with its audience, despite some genuinely engrossing and tense scenes. Like Abraham from the Old Testament, Walter Abrams delivers his "son" Brandon, the symbolic Isaac, to the alter of sacrifice. Unlike the Biblical story, however, there is no ram available as a substitute, and another film, which once held a tenuous grasp on our interest, is lead to slaughter.

Grade: C-

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