The crime
In the summer of 2007, an FBI investigation into NBA referee Tim Donaghy — alleging that he had bet on basketball games he had officiated — was made public. Donaghy was arrested shortly thereafter, and pled guilty to two federal felony charges of conspiracy (the short of it is that Donaghy passed along tips to a high-school classmate, and got money for each “correct” pick).

The story
The ranking hoops fan in our house, my husband, bailed on Inside Game after 15 minutes, and I’m not sure I would have continued with it if it weren’t for 1) this here newsletter, and 2) the fact that I’d already paid to rent it. It isn’t bad, overall; in spots, it’s quite good. But it isn’t good enough in enough spots to justify the time investment.

The film is a bit tentative, for starters. This isn’t Batinkoff’s first feature, but I got a carefulness from his direction and (mostly) from Andy Callahan’s script; overall, there’s the sense that the production’s preoccupation is with correctly explaining what happened and why it’s a crime. Which is fine, particularly if you give it to actors who can make a wagonload of mathy exposition about “the line” and “smart money” sound organic, and the acting corps is up to the task — but I watched the segment on how Donaghy’s (Eric Mabius) old friend Baba the bookie (Will Sasso) manipulated the point spread twice, and I still don’t think I got it. Too, the film doesn’t take a position on whether Donaghy manipulated game outcomes with sketchy calls, and it’s not great at explicating why the FBI gives a shit more generally. I mean, I know why, but you kind of have to cite the statute; otherwise it’s like, well, it’s…called “gambling,” not “investing,” so no, this shit isn’t ethical, but if we don’t totally see where the crime is, we won’t totally see what the stakes are. I’m actually okay with it not being nuts-and-bolts process-y, but then it should have a bit more flair instead…not to mention more basketball! No doubt budget concerns played a big role there, but what little footage there is of Donaghy in ref mode doesn’t suggest the deepest familiarity with the game. Callahan’s primary lane is TV procedurals and action fare, and while he’s definitely feeling the ability to let the actors swear a blue streak, the writing and direction feel a bit stiff and underconfident.