Two for the Money is Al Pacino’s most underrated performance

Al Pacino’s complex character portrayal in Two for the Money

British songstress, Annie Lennox, once said “I’m not a saint. I’m not an angel. I’m a human being.” While the statement is brief, it is as accurate as the USNO clock in Washington D.C.

The point that Lennox is making is that we all have our flaws and our shortcomings. To expect perfection out of any one person is a burden that none of us is capable of bearing. One of the reason’s that Al Pacino’s performance in Two for the Money is excellent is that the character he portrays has his humanity on display for all of the world to see.

Pacino’s character, Walter Abrams, is a recovering alcoholic and gambling addict who now runs his own television show from New York City, called The Sports Advisors. The fact that he has vowed never to place another bet, yet runs a TV show during which he implores betters to call in before placing bets with their bookies is a contradiction in and of itself. That would be a conundrum large enough for a novel, but unfortunately for Abrams the contradictions don’t stop there.

Abrams throws lavish parties for his studio staff, complete with an open bar and cash rewards for the best result-pickers of the week. He preaches loyalty to everyone he works with but holds unfounded suspicions about his wife and can’t stop himself from believing she is engaging in an extramarital affair. Abrams’ combination of greed, self-reliance and jealousy leads him to make some very questionable decisions and ultimately puts his marriage and every other important relationship in his life in jeopardy.