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Campbell Scott,
Campbell Scott,
Rebecca Pidgeon,
more...
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David Mamet,
David Mamet
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: Columbia TriStar
: Neo Noir
: 110 min.
: English, Spanish, French
: English, Spanish, French
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This title is currently out of print.
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Writer-director David Mamet crafted this unusual, Hitchcockian thriller in which no one is who they appear to be. Campbell Scott is Joe Ross, who has just created a "process" that stands to make his company and his boss, Klein (Ben Gazzara), millions of dollars. At a clandestine meeting in the Caribbean, Ross discusses the details of the process with company executives. There, purely by chance, or so he believes, he meets the wealthy, enigmatic Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin), and the two strike up an unusual friendship. Dell informs Ross that he's naïve to believe that his company will fairly compensate him for his valuable work. Upon returning home, Ross becomes paranoid that Dell is right, and he takes steps to protect his invention, becoming unsure if he can trust Klein or even his own love-struck assistant (Rebecca Pidgeon). When Ross discovers that Dell has lied to him about his identity, he contacts the FBI -- he then finds himself set up as a murder suspect who learns, almost too late, to trust no one. The title of the film refers not to any of the characters but to a classic con artist's scam. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
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| part con, part dialogue
by alexjb
December 15, 2004 - 2:59 PM PST
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2 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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mamet writes very well, to be sure, and his dialogue can't be beat (esp in glengarry glenn ross). in the spanish prisoner, though, it just *mostly* works, and only because it's got some really good con stuff included.
the plot twists and evolves in unexpected directions, while remaining focused on the two or three central characters. unfortunately, the actors may have taken mamet's extremely simplistic direction to heart too well. as i understand it, he generally tells actors to 'just read the script', and in the Spanish Prisoner, Steve Martin is the only one who can emote enough to make that work. from the other actors, the lines frequently come across as wooden and flat. martin, in one of his most subdued roles ever, at least breathes some life into his part; his acting is, unfortunately, a reminder that dialogue can bring life to the scene rather than just be laid out as if read from a page.
overall, though, i do enjoy the film, and have watched it several times. i think that this is mainly for the plot devices and con angles, which make repeat viewing fun (did she really do what she said she did? does it all hold together logistically?) |
| Clever dialogue
by SRhodes
May 16, 2002 - 12:22 PM PDT
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5 out of 6 members found this review helpful
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Some people hate the clipped back and forth of David Mamet's dialogue. While it works better on the stage, I would listen to it anytime.
As with most of his films, there are a lot of twists and turns (along with Ricky Jay).
The DVD only has the movie and the trailer. A commentary and making of documentary could have helped reveal how Mamet performs some of his magic.
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.71)
245 Votes
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