Dos por el Dinero

This film is not as bad as many say, its a decent film about sports betting. I give the director credit for keeping it interesting as this film could have potentially been a bore. However there were some problems with the script, mainly the last act which was not logical. The acting and smart direction from Caruso save this project. Although it isn't a terribly convincing film, Pacinos performance allows is to not be a total disappointment. McConaughey was good as well, casted well in his role. Jeremy Piven was great in his supporting role, but Armand Assante was bad, boy does he not know how to perform lines and be convincing while doing it. Most of my problems with this film was Dan Gilroys screenplay which although at times smart, and entertaining, all in all not concise and consistent. 7/10

Six years after a career-ending injury, former college football player Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) is doing little more than a phone service for gamblers. After some amazing success, he is lured to NY to join Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) in his business of gambling predictions. It's a fast talking adrenaline junkie's business and Walter's wife Toni (Rene Russo) tries to keep ever present dangers in check.

The story isn't that exciting. The characters are questionable. The big takeaway is the acting. Matthew McConaughey is a master of this brash young guy. He works well with the master Al Pacino. Al has more intensity than the rest of the cast. And Rene Russo has that superior regal airs about her. The movie starts well, but it does slow down around the middle. It is just too long, and the second half gets quite tiresome. Maybe the Pacino intensity wore me out. At the end, I really didn't care about anybody in the movie.

Al Pacino stars with Matthew McConaughey and Rene Russo in "Two for the Money," a 2005 film directed by D.J. Caruso.

Pacino plays Walter Abrams, a man with a serious heart condition, a wife, and a child. As his wife says, "he's held together by meetings. If it has an "anonymous" after its name, he goes to it." A former compulsive gambler, he now runs a sports betting business. He becomes interested in a former football player, retired due to a knee injury, named Brandon Lang (McConaughey). Lang gives out accurate predictions and point spreads on a 900 line, and Abrams invites Lang to work for him.

Lang moves to New York, where Abrams changes his name to John Anthony, dresses him professionally, and ultimately puts him on television. Anthony is very successful - the business gets a percentage of every win, and Anthony does very well by his clients.

Unfortunately, as Abrams himself says, Anthony is not a psychic - which Anthony seems to forget, becoming too interested in golf games with his clients instead of research, and the inevitable happens. "John Anthony" then must come to terms with the complex man he's working for and how and if he's going to get back in the game.

This is a good-looking film with Pacino sucking out all the air in the room, overpowering both McConaughey and Russo with his take no prisoners acting. McConaughey is one hot number, and there was a time, when he first started acting, that he wanted to be another Paul Newman. Then he was pulled into chick flicks. The result is a successful career but not necessarily a successful acting career. Therefore he's not really a good match for Pacino.

Jeremy Piven plays another analyst who works for Abrams, and he does an effective job, as does Armand Assante, a bettor who doesn't like to lose - he's really excellent in a short role.

But Pacino rules - you can sense this man's volatility and you have no idea what he's going to pull next. This is definitely a film for Pacino fans. It's not terribly original, but there are some good scenes and some witty dialogue.

Mathew McConaughey is Brandon Lane, a former football star recruited by Walter Abraham (Al Pacino), the head of a sports consulting firm to help them set the line for their sports betting business. Lane's ability to predict the outcome of games quickly turns him into a golden boy, but it soon becomes apparent that he's bitten off more than he can chew when his abilities start to falter.

Two for the Money is a forgettable, generic thriller that doesn't really offer anything new. The film does have some entertaining moments and the first half of the movie is actually pretty exciting to watch. But, the second half is really slow and very tedious. It just drags on and on and for no reason either. It could have been a nice 90 minute movie but the story is stretched out into a two hour film. Luckily, Al Pacino is in the movie and he keeps the film exciting. He gives a good, over the top performance and he pretty much raises the film up to mediocrity. Personally, sports betting isn't that interesting to me but Al Pacino makes it interesting. He can turn a bad script into an okay movie which is what he does with the film. Let's be honest, the script is not very good and the direction is weak. It's so obvious where things are going which is not surprising because this is the same guy that made Taking Lives.

Al Pacino is playing mentor to Matthew McConaughey and their chemistry together isn't very strong. McConaughey is a pretty weak actor and he can't keep up with Pacino. The lead role should have gone to someone else. Rene Russo is okay as Pacino's wife. She gives a decent performance but she was a little too bland to truly stand out. Another thing about the film that people may not like is that every character is unlikable. It's hard to care for these characters because they are either pretty mean or bland. It didn't really bother me because I watched the film to be entertained and I did get some entertainment value from the movie. In the end, if you like Al Pacino then you should give the film a shot, if you don't then just skip it. Rating 6/10

In Vegas, after breaking the knee in a game, the former promising football player Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) has to work in a phone service foreseeing the results of the games due to the lack of professional options. After many successful predictions, he is invited by Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) to move to Manhattan and work with him in his gambling advising business. Brandon changes his name and personality, becomes famous advising clients and close to Walter's family, and a good friend of his wife, the owner of a hairdresser saloon Toni Morrow (Rene Russo). When the predictions of Brandon fail, he feels that it is time to return home.

"Two for the Money" is a good entertainment, mainly because it is based on a true story, inclusive in the DVD there is an interview of the screenplay writer with the real Brandon. The story partially discloses an illegal business that deals with billions of dollars, and keeps the interest until the end, without being exceptional or unforgettable. Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey and Rene Russo make this film worth. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Tudo Por Dinheiro" ("All for Money")