The good: - Even bad Pacino is decent quality. - Even pre-Dallas McConaughey is decent. - Even Rene Russo gets a role she can put her efforts and talents into. The bad: - Transparent script. - Direction plays it long for a payoff that never comes. - The ending made me groan out loud with despair. 6.5/10

Sports-betting thriller with Pacino at maximum Pacino — the mentor-protégé corruption dynamic is the film's real subject. Rene Russo is underused. Genre-functional, occasionally entertaining, not particularly memorable.

With sports betting, you lose in the long run.

Ending was oopiere. John Anthony is a notable man and has the sway of the tongue.

The macho braggadocious tough guy sports bro manly talk is ridiculous. I mean, absolutely unbearable to watch and listen to. Half the movie is wearing weirdly 90s sunglasses indoors and manspreading to 180° angles. *Talk* to me, man! I know this is partly what the story is about, but the movie seems not even nearly self-conscious enough about it. The acting is atrocious, too. Pacino isn't great in it, but McConnaughey takes the cake. Up until about ten minutes before the end, I was going to give this a 2 out of 10. I ended up liking the ending, though. The [spoiler]final talk between Walter and Toni[/spoiler] salvaged the movie somewhat for me. I still wouldn't recommend it, watching it still causes too much vicarious embarrassment, but at least they rounded it off somewhat well.