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Ricardo Darín,
Ricardo Darín,
Gastón Pauls,
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Fabian Bielinsky,
Fabian Bielinsky
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: Columbia TriStar
: Foreign, Capers, Latin America
: 115 min.
: Spanish
: English, French
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Argentine filmmaker Fabian Bielinsky makes his directorial debut with this taut crime thriller about a stamp and con artists on the make. The film opens with low-rent hustler Juan (Gaston Pauls) trying to scam the workers in a convenience store when Marcos (Ricardo Darin) steps in to arrest him. In truth, Marcos is veteran con himself and the two split the money after fleeing the scene. Soon after, Marcos asks Juan to be his partner in a series of small-time jobs. When one of the men gets a message from his sister, the two head to the tony hotel where she works. There they try to pull off a big con that was initially planned by an aging criminal too ill to do it. The swindle centers around a fantastically accurate forgery of a rare stamp called the Nine Queens. As the two doggedly try to set up the deal, mobsters and the like learn of the job and try to horn in. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
You might also enjoy:
House of Games
Speaking of which, Mamet's ingenious, well-crafted suspense film makes for a good con artist double-feature with Queens
Felicidades
Another way of looking at Buenos Aires, in this sleeper
Burnt Money
Excellent Argentinean crime drama based on real Buenos Aires robbery case
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| A film that keeps you quessing
by MKaliher
January 8, 2008 - 6:50 AM PST
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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| Two sleazy grifters meet in an unnamed Argentine city. Grifter #1, played by Gastón Pauls, is a bumbling neophyte resembling a young Ray Liotta. After hooking up with the more experienced grifter #2, Marcos, well played by Ricardo Darin, the two execute several pathetic, minor schemes, and then meet Marcos's sister, a straight hotel concierge, played by Leticia Brédice (of En la Ciudad Sin Limites). Things are not exactly amicable between the siblings, as Marcos, being the asshole that he is, has swindled the concierge and their younger brother out of their rightful share of a family inheritance. From here, the story unfolds--involving yet another grifter, who wears flashy suits, has an entourage, and the demeanor of a twisted old priest. Along the way, we learn about crime and corruption in Argentina--or any other industrialized country--and meet other assorted petty criminals, well played, such as Washington, who hawks blank bank checks, Paraguayan Rolexes, and pirated software; but who, when Marcos asks if he has a .357 magnum pistol for sale, responds with disdain, "I'm not a crook." And we find out who the most accomplished grifter of all is. This film has a clever script, well directed and well acted. |
| Good film which messes with your assumptions
by hneline1
November 17, 2003 - 1:44 AM PST
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8 out of 8 members found this review helpful
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| I like films which mess with your assumptions about what's going on, like The Usual Suspects or Rashomon. Nueve Reinas follows a wanna-be thief and a seasoned swindler as they try to make money off an expensive set of stamps called the Nine Queens. The setup is believable, the plot twists intriguing, the acting great, and I was kept guessing about who was swindling whom among all the supporting characters. My main complaint is about the very end, which was too pat after all the intriguing buildup, but I would still recommend this movie because the ride getting to the end is fun and well-done. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.29)
129 Votes
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