Two For The Money

Year: 2005

Grade: B-

Country: USA

Director: Caruso

Review

a pretty real look at the effects of gambling. i thought it did a good job of capturing both the highs and lows of sports betting, and it managed to do this without becoming didactic. the direction (caruso, who did salton sea) was decent enough – it had some weak moments and some strong moments, pretty average overall. pacino was the best thing about the picture. he brought his usual intensity, but it also had that vulnerabilty that he exhibits in stuff like serpico, dog day afternoon and scent of a woman. he also generates a few laughs here, which is out of the ordinary. the ending was fitting and powerful if you allow it to affect you. i don’t know how well it pulled it off because i, quite frankly, had mixed feelings about it. on paper, though, it’s a solid ending with a fair amount of emotion.

Watched in theater