The greatest battle any artist faces is not one cast in their direction by critics, but by that which no living person has ever managed to walk away from: the war one wages on a daily basis against time. When an artist is no longer relevant, do they cease to exist? Do they lose their audience? And do they lose their grasp on the root of all that their craft is based on – truth?

The latest casualty seems to be the once great AL PACINO. The legendary actor has been taking shots since his over-the-top performance in 1995’s HEAT, directed by MICHAEL MANN. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a decade since fans started losing their faith in PACINO. The criticism is a bit unfounded, or perhaps, was a bit unfounded, until the recently-released-to-DVD TWO FOR THE MONEY.

First off, PACINO has had some strong performances since his love-it-or-hate-it performance in HEAT. These include fine displays of his craft in films such as: DONNIE BRASCO (1997); THE INSIDER (1999); INSOMNIA (2002); and the HBO miniseries ANGELS IN AMERICA (2003).

For those who point to PACINO’s OSCAR-winning scene-chewing SCENT OF A WOMAN (1992) as being the beginning of the end for the once subtle thespian whom Hollywood had adopted as the man with the smoldering intensity and the icy eyes (“Michael Corleone” anyone?), who seemed to have abandoned the implication of the lightning for the boisterous parade of thunder with fire-breathing dragon-like grandstanding in THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE (1997), one has to ask: did these same critics not see the one-man assault that was SCARFACE, which was released almost ten years prior to SCENT…? PACINO’s advocates insisted that the man had an on/off switch, and therefore was in total control of his performances, and not a screaming locomotive hanging onto the rails. TWO FOR THE MONEY paints the picture of PACINO, both the actor and the character (or caricature?), as a total train wreck, who seems to be struggling finally with what critics have been saying for years: the artist has become irrelevant.

The film is centered around MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY as Brandon Lang, a one-time college QB star who gets sidelined with a career-ending injury. Through a few lucky breaks, MCCONAUGHEY’s Lang goes from working for under ten bucks an hour recording messages for 900-numbers to being recruited by PACINO’s Walter Abrams, a savvy, maladjusted, compulsive man intent on leeching off the bottom feeders of the gambling world – those with expensive losing habits. Abrams goes for broke as he attempts to build his sports-betting empire on Lang, who is on an incredibly lucky winning streak. In order to truly succeed, Abrams tells Lang that he must believe his own sales pitches, by truly inhabiting the person selling them. PACINO’s Abrams christens MCCONAUGHEY’s Brandon Lang with a new persona, complete with a new slicked-back haircut and a sports car with vanity plates. RENE RUSSO plays PACINO’s damaged-goods wife who’s been driven around the block one too many times herself. RUSSO is integral to the mechanics of the plot, as each of the three characters seems to become dependent on one another.

MCCONAUGHEY, finally given a chance to work with some real material, is effective as the small-town boy lured by the fast pace of big city living and being the Wizard of Oz behind a multi-billion-dollar gambling industry. JEREMY PIVEN is fantastic as Abrams’ original golden boy who gets outplayed by Lang, and ARMAND ASSANTE is an elite gazillionaire who needs to bet millions of dollars a week to feel any true rush from winning or losing. As Lang’s luck begins to take a downward spiral, he is reminded that his betting tips have their consequences on other peoples’ lives, both positive and now negative, and ASSANTE’s character must remind him of this with a very memorable scene in Central Park.

The film, directed by D.J. CARUSO, is based on a true story, and while the script, written by DAN GILROY, who had the story pitched to him by the real-life “Brandon Lang” when Lang served as his caddy on the golf course one fateful day, is engaging even when it veers off into unrealistic plot realms, the real reason you’re watching this movie is to see PACINO’s performance. It’s one of the first times when PACINO truly seems to be wrestling with his craft. You’ll see shades of his roles in HEAT and DEVIL’S ADVOCATE, and it feels like PACINO is diving back into his old bag of familiar tricks. By the time the film runs its course, though, you’re left with glimpses of PACINO making what was once old and tired new again – making the audience believe in what he’s selling, and you’re left wondering if perhaps he knew what he was doing all along.

There must have been a lot of meth going around during the making of DOMINO, and I’m not referring to method acting. Director TONY SCOTT’s firecracker of a movie (now out on DVD) starring KEIRA KNIGHTLEY as the real life Beverly Hills brat-turned-fashion model-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey, is every bit as noisy and ridiculous as a MICHAEL BAY-helmed feature, but with some OLIVER STONE-inspired editing and grittiness to raise the motion sickness meter up a few notches.

The film looks and feels like a high-octane comic book with unique color tones and lighting throughout. The pacing of the story never so much as advances forward but more hurls itself about like a wounded rhinoceros. Hollywood it-boy RICHARD KELLY (DONNIE DARKO) is responsible for the screenplay, and many are comparing the hype for KELLY to that of the level TARANTINO experienced at the start of his career, but with the mainstream potential of a young STEVEN SPIELBERG (although DARKO or DOMINO are anything but mainstream fare). KELLY certainly enhances DOMINO’s pedigree, but with a “real life” story so sensational, how could anyone hand in a script that was anything but entertaining? Sadly, no matter how good the script was, or could have been, SCOTT’s visual style, effective in parts, is ultimately gimmicky and is the main reason why this film comes unglued somewhere close to the third act. (Some may argue that the film never actually gets off the ground, and they may be right.)

The cast is stellar, including MICKEY ROURKE, who after his hard-as-nails performance in SIN CITY, serves up another strong case as to why he deserves a second chance in Hollywood. KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, regardless of how dainty she may be, does her best to make Domino sexy and dangerous, and she nearly pulls it off (the sexy, yes, the dangerous, almost).

Where KELLY may be at fault is with the characters. The script doesn’t offer a really satisfying reason as to why someone with the privileged life as Domino Harvey would seek a career as a bounty hunter. Things are mentioned, almost in a passing montage, but nothing that would really seem plausible. The real life Domino Harvey died before the film was released, and here too, no explanation is given other than a dedication at the close of the film. And a few of the comedic moments really fall flat, such as a seen-it-one-too-many-times JERRY SPRINGER cameo and CHRISTOPHER WALKEN as a kooky WB Network TV series producer. Surprisingly the film is stolen by former BEVERLY HILLS 90210 stars IAN ZIERING and BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN, who poke some serious jabs at themselves as they play themselves.

DOMINO is worthy of a rental, if you have a tolerance for tilt-a-whirl camera tricks and editing and come into it with low expectations. The material would have been much more in line with TARANTINO’s grasp on mixing humor and violence, and one can’t help but think of the possibilities and missed opportunities.

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