Gambling: Carolyn, a novelist, is losing her family's savings at the slots; she's befriended by a close-up magician who dreams of making it big. A murdered bookie has the cops focused on Victor, who fronts for the mysterious, never-seen Ivan. Augie and Murph, two other bookies ply their partnership, which is endangered by an offer from Victor to Augie and by Murph's girlfriend's rejection of his violent vocation. A mechanic, in debt to his bookies, asks his basketball-playing brother to shave some points. A paraplegic cop sees all. Will anyone reach their dream? The odds are against it.
Genre(s): Crime, Drama
Runtime: 113 minutes
Rating: 5.9/10 (2,417 votes)
Release Date: 7 March 2007
Country: USA, Germany
Languages: English
Company: Yari Film Group (YFG)
Sound: SDDS, Dolby Digital
MPAA: Rated R for language, violence and brief sexuality.
Director(s): Mark Rydell
Producer(s):
Thomas Becker – executive producer
Henry Boger – co-producer
Rita Branch – co-producer
Betsy Danbury – co-producer
Danny DeVito – producer
Marina Grasic – executive producer
David S. Greathouse – producer
Robert Katz – co-producer
Jan Korbelin – executive producer
Mark Rydell – producer
Johnny Sanchez – co-producer
Jörg Westerkamp – executive producer
Bob Yari – executive producer
Michael Zaltstein – executive producer
Roger Zamudio – co-producer
Writer(s):
Robert Tannen – (written by)
Cast:
Kim Basinger – Carolyn Carver
Kelsey Grammer – Detective Brunner
Michael Eaves – Announcer
Forest Whitaker – Clyde Snow
Texas Battle – Darius Jackson
Nick Cannon – Godfrey Snow
Charles Robinson – Coach Washington (as Charlie Robinson)
Ray Liotta – Tom Carver
Carson Brown – Nicole Carver
Jay Mohr – Augie
Music: Dave Grusin
Tagline: Life is a gamble. How much are you willing to risk?
Recommended Links
Archives
'Saturday morning early' My wife is still a sleep. I brought my son tohis rock band for repetition. Came home around 10 AM. And had all thetime in the world to watch the DVD with this movie. Diverse story linescome to a climax. But in this movie the stories are not hard to follow.And the cast seems to enjoy to work in this movie. But if a story isnot difficult to follow, does that mean that the movie is bad or notgood enough?? Of course not. Why do some people always compare movieswith other movies. Even movies that are from the same director or evenfrom the same producers, should be viewed as 'one of a kind'. So when Iwatched this one, of course some movies like Haven or Crash or….,made all a slip entrance through my mind. But no more than that. Thisis just a great movie with a even great cast. Great entertainment. AndI know, I'm a positive voter (that's because I have great respect forthe many of the products we call motion pictures) but that doesn't meanI have no critics on some movies. Of course I have. But if I vote lessthat 7 point I wouldn't write any comment at all. So to anyone whoreads this comment: Go watch this movie.
Major Tom
Welcome to Even Money, a strictly, by-the-numbers, connect the dots,type of film that has very little to recommend it.
Everybody seems to be sleepwalking it, borrowing character elementsfrom their previous films.
Tim Roth plays a vicious gangster. Oooh original. Danny De Vito afailed magician who dreams of the bigtime. Yawn. Kim Basinger a motherwith gambling problems, whittling away the family savings. Done howmany times before in TV movies? Oh and Forest Whitaker has to ask hisbasketball prodigy brother to throw games so he can cancel his debtwith the loan sharks, wow that's novel.
And then we have Kelsey Grammar with a plastic nose and face to match,that distracted me so much from his character, every time he appeared Ikept thinking what's Kelsey Grammar doing with the dodgy nose? I forgotwho he was meant to be.
People are comparing this with Crash – why? Different director and verypoor writer, and a plot that isn't anywhere near as intertwined aspeople think.
A very simple, unoriginal film, with NOTHING to commend it. Avoid.
And I thought "Crash" was a pretentious "look at me!!" slab ofmoralizing garbage…This follows in the same stench that "Crash" leftbehind. I picked it because of some of the cast…Whitaker, Roth,…Ithought there had to be something in there…no way. Ham-fisted andinsipid. I come from a family with a gambling addict and this made melong for the real thing…as horrible as it is. It's a morality playfor people who think it's a Hollie Hobbie world out here. There isnothing remotely heart-felt or realistic in the "film" and thecharacters are the worst of stereotypes and clichés. Some of the peopleinvolved should have known better…but when the buck calls, everybodycomes running. Stick with an "after school special." It might have moreweight.
I've noticed that in the 21st century, there's been a surge in moviesportraying several people who, although they may never meet, are allconnected by something: "Traffic", "Syriana", "Fast Food Nation" and"Babel". Now, there's also Mark Rydell's "Even Money", depictingseveral people linked by gambling addictions. There's Carolyn Carver(Kim Basinger), a writer ignoring her family and spending all her timein the casino with prestidigitator Walter Markowitz (Danny DeVito);Clyde Snow (Forest Whitaker), a handyman trying to help his son becomea basketball player; and Augie (Jay Mohr), who has taken some verywrong turns in his life. But in control of everything is slime-ballVictor (Tim Roth), intent on rigging the upcoming basketball game.
I should say that I didn't find this movie to be as good as theaforementioned intertwined-story films, as the aforementioned onesdealt more with political issues. But I thought that it was worthseeing as a look at the underbelly of life in general (is that a lamedescription?). And an ugly look at things it certainly is. Victor isone guy whom you hope that you never have to meet, but it's stillpossible to admire him somewhat. At times, every one of the charactersmade my skin crawl just a little bit.
All in all, an OK movie. Also starring Ray Liotta as Kim Basinger'shusband, Kelsey Grammar as a detective, and director Rydell at the end.
PS: Mark Rydell also directed Bette Midler's movies "The Rose" and "Forthe Boys".
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 winor lose there is a payday and in this movie all the debts are paid, andthere is potential for two couples to emerge from their morass. This isa good film, directed by a pro, Mark Rydell, who has even has a cameorole in which some of the irony and mystery is explained.
This is a sleazy movie — to paraphrase Michael Douglas in "WallStreet," sleaze is good, and tips its hat to Orson Welles in one of myfavorite films, "Touch of Evil." Yes, it is about addiction and much ofthe 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. Highmarks to the director for this.
If you like your cynicism straight and don't turn your head at a littlecinematic violence this is a movie you will enjoy. Its well worthtaking a flier on.