Even Money (2006/I)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Mark Rydell

Writer (WGA):

Robert Tannen (written by)

Release Date:

19 November 2008 (Egypt)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Life is a gamble. How much are you willing to risk?

Plot:

Gambling addiction bring the stories of three otherwise unconnected people together as it destroys each of their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Gambling | Bookie | Magician | Addiction | Debt

Cast

Kim Basinger	...	Carolyn Carver
Kelsey Grammer	...	Detective Brunner
Forest Whitaker	...	Clyde Snow
Nick Cannon	...	Godfrey Snow
Carla Gugino	...	Veronica
Charles Robinson	...	Coach Washington (as Charlie Robinson)
Cassandra Hepburn	...	Claudia
Ray Liotta	...	Tom Carver
Carson Brown	...	Nicole Carver
Jay Mohr	...	Augie
Grant Sullivan	...	Murph
James Marsh	...	Writer in Coffee Shop
Shanelle Workman	...	Jill
Texas Battle	...	Darius Jackson
Tim Roth	...	Victor

Also Known As:

Jump Shot (USA) (working title)
Tödlicher Einsatz (Germany) (DVD title)
La apuesta perfecta (Spain) [es]
Sto heilos tou tzogou (Greece) (DVD title) [el]

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Yari Film Group (YFG)

Trivia:

Nearly all the basketball scenes begin with a three or four note fanfare that seems intended to be jarring. These notes are actually the beginning of a fight song shared by both the University of California and UCLA.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Godfrey Snow is Clyde Snow's little brother but the DVD box synopsis calls Godfrey a nephew to Clyde.

Quotes:

Detective Brunner: Like I said we're all chasin somethin. More money. More love. What we're really looking for is more life. But sometimes you go looking for more, and you wind up with less. It's a beautiful world. We ought to be satisfied. But the truth is... we all want more. Some take a chance for the rush of winning. Some for love. But you can't have your dream without laying something on the line. The key is not to risk what you can't afford to lose. You might think you're different. But someday...

Gambling, addiction and full frontal betrayal

The comparisons to "Babel" and "Fast Food Nation" are way off the mark. "Even Money" is a film noir with revenge at its center, in gambling win or lose there is a payday and in this movie all the debts are paid, and there is potential for two couples to emerge from their morass. This is a good film, directed by a pro, Mark Rydell, who has even has a cameo role in which some of the irony and mystery is explained.

This is a sleazy movie -- to paraphrase Michael Douglas in "Wall Street," sleaze is good, and tips its hat to Orson Welles in one of my favorite films, "Touch of Evil." Yes, it is about addiction and much of the extraordinary cast (Kim Basinger, Kelsey Grammar, Danny Devito, Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotto and Tim Roth among them) play it carefully, straddling the line, without becoming camp or going over the top. High marks to the director for this.

If you like your cynicism straight and don't turn your head at a little cinematic violence this is a movie you will enjoy. Its well worth taking a flier on.