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Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Not perhaps the worst film of all time but possibly the most bland and uninteresting. Characters you can't care about suffering first world problems that you can't get excited about. Waste of 2 hours. I am not sure it is possible to fill the required ten lines of text for this review, because the is so little of interest to say about this film. I really can't believe somebody didn't just say no. I can't believe Al Pacino is in such a weak film. I think a film about the trials and tribulations of Al Pacino going to the supermarket and cooking lunch would have been more interesting, perhaps his newspaper could be slightly damaged as a major plot twist. That would be one up on this film.

Money, money, money. If you don't any...you want some. And thanks to unhappy people wanting money fast, other people get richer. Matthew McConaughey plays Brandon Lang, a former outstanding college football star that suffers a career ending injury. His life isn't in the crapper just yet, because he has the uncanny talent of predicting winners and losers on the gridiron. He gets the attention of Walter Abrams(Al Pacino), one of the biggest sports consulting moguls in the business. Abrams takes the hunky Lang under his wing and with a leg up soon both are pulling in an ugly amount of money. When things start to turn sour for Brandon, Abrams puts on the pressure and that leads to a duel of con against con. Stakes escalate and the high rolling lifestyle is in danger of petering out. The bigger they come, the harder they fall.D.J. Caruso directs and Dan Gilroy writes. The only drawback I can find is maybe the running time of 2 hours and a bit. Of course, those that are not sports minded will pass on this anyway. Fine supporting cast: Rene Russo, Jeremy Piven, Armand Assante and Jaime King.

I found this movie to be very entertaining and the idea does come at a good time as sports gambling is bigger than ever. It portrays the pros and cons and dangers of betting on sports and with several big names, the movie is worth while for someone who hasn't seen it yet. I think some of the acting was overdone and I thought the movie was just too "fake" at times. I know they cannot show real NFL games but some of the sports highlights and broadcasts were just blatantly not real and sometimes over the top. I think the acting was over the top as well, especially when everyone is sitting around watching the big games towards the end.One specific scene where it is too "fake" for me is when they go 14-0 in the big weekend. In the final game they are watching Pacino says "if they score we win." There was several seconds left on the clock and the team that scored had the lead. In any football game, the team with the ball would have downed the ball and ran the clock out. 100% this would happen every single time, especially in the NFL (and with a 1 possession lead). I just personally think the games and plays were thrown together so carelessly that it's almost offensive to any sports knowledged person viewing the movie.Personally, I do not find McConaughey's character believable. His characters turns a complete 180 and he is way too over the top at moments. He becomes too arrogant and non-likable. While I know that people change, I just think the acting wasn't as well portrayed as it could be.One problem I do have with the bad reviews and some of my comments is that this movie is actually based off of a true story, so while people complain about certain scenes and certain plots, the movie is supposedly following the life of the real Brandon Lang, as he told it and explained the events that had occurred.One personal comment about one thing the movie portrays. In the scene where Amir lost everything and calls McConaughey's character and is yelling at him, following with Lang's character reflecting on how he just ruined someone's life, I personally hate this stereotype. I do not like this scene at all as it is a terrible portrayal of how people's lives are ruined with sports gambling. Amir's character obviously won several hundred thousand dollars, minimum. Then he lost everything in a couple weekends. It shows how some betters will bet everything they have and lose. The movie portrays Lang's character as being at fault here, and trying to have the audience understand that while sympathizing with Amir. I find this to be ridiculous as there is no one at fault but Amir, and the movie does not show enough that it's the better's fault. Amir had a family and took several hundred thousand dollars and lost it all. Yet the movie tries to show that it is completely Lang's fault, and because of this, he has to get out of the business because he can't handle ruining people's lives. This scene just really bothered me as I think Amir's complete collapse just shows his addiction for gambling and his desire not to stop.

Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) is an ex-football player, who's now working for a phone service. Which Brandon could foreseeing the results on a game with lack of any professional insight. When Brandon receives an mysterious phone call from Walter Abrams (Oscar-Winner:Al Pacino). Which Walter offers him an job in New York City to join his gambling advising business. When Walter advices Brandon to change his look and name. Brandon's predictions towards Sports Games becomes an major success. Brandon makes plenty of promising clients and he becomes close with Walter and his wife Toni (Rene Russo). But when Brandon's predictions starts to change and his relationship with Walter turns bad. Which Walter isn't always the man, what he seems to be.Directed by D.J. Caruso (Disturbia, The Salton Sea, Taking Lives) made an interesting, modestly entertaining drama. Which is based on a true story on Brandon's fascinating life. The first half of the film works best, when it's funny and kept things moving. But then the second half takes a dark turn and slow going at times. This film is also about redemption towards these characters. McConaughey plays his role, quite well in this movie. Al Pacino's character, love him or hate him. His performance is always quite interesting, despite the many bad turns his character does in the film. Rene Russo gives her best performance here as Brandon's only sympathetic friend.DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an good-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has an good commentary track by the director and screenwriter:Dan Gilory (Chasers, The Fall, Freejack). DVD also has Deleted Scenes with optional commentaries by the director and screenwriter, making of featurette, interview with the real Brandon (Which his real name is Brandon Link) and Trailer & T.V. Spots. Since his film was an box office disappointment. This is the kind of movie that plays better on DVD. Despite the solid premise of the film. This is worth watching, thanks to the performances of McConaughey, Pacino and Russo. Russo is one of the executive producers of the picture. Don't miss this true-life story. Super 35. (*** ½/*****).