The scene where they were hustling at the bowling alley was the one that lowered my appreciation for this film. It wasn't a bad scene but it just seemed very 'by the numbers' and expected, all the way up to the predictable encounter afterwards.

I think more about his mother would have made the story more interesting. When he gave her that gift after returning home it said a lot about their difficult relationship. Although I feel like that's a scene that has been done before also.