The Spanish Prisoner

Rating:
Summary: A low-keyed spoof of the genre
Review: There's a little of the famous repetitive, stylized Mamet dialogue, especially in the beginning of this intriguing, tongue-in-cheek thriller, but mostly what director Mamet does is play it (almost) straight. The premise is a con, called "the Spanish Prisoner" con. Steve Martin is the chief con artist, Jimmy Dell, while Campbell Scott is the victim, Joe Ross, whose proprietary business formula--displayed prominently throughout the movie as a red bound notebook--is the booty.

Most of us are familiar with this con from our e-mail where it typically takes the form of an African or the Middle Eastern princess seeking help from us to escape from a corrupt society or an oppressive husband. We are advised that she has many millions of dollars but can't get them out of the country without our help in the form of a few thousand bucks for various fees, etc. If we send the money we are assured that we will get a significant percentage of the millions.

Here the come-on includes a dark-haired beauty we see only in passing and in photos. Playing her foil is Rebecca Pidgeon (Mamet's talented wife) as Susan Ricci, a somewhat ditzy secretary for Joe's company. At the beginning everything is opaque and intriguing. It's not clear who is who, and who can be trusted and who can't. Indeed if this movie had a theme it would be "you can't trust anybody." The real worry, however, seems to be whether Joe will get paid for his work. Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara) keeps putting him off. And so it appears that we may be viewing another business and relationships satire for which Mamet is justly famous (e.g., Glengarry Glen Ross 1992), but after a bit we begin to see the sinister plot unfold.

The acting is good and Mamet sets up his plot twists with precision--although the resolutions of some of the twists are a bit strained; in fact, probability and logic, in keeping with the time-honored tenets of the genre, are sometimes just plain ignored. But what carries this unusual thriller is an underlying tone of irony. Steve Martin is perfectly cast because underneath his sly exterior there seems lurking a guy about to bust out laughing; and indeed the entire edifice is a crafty but covert spoof of Hollywood thrillers. It's almost as though Mamet set out to write and direct a standard thriller but just couldn't help himself. On the other hand he may have had the understated parody in mind all the way, but just didn't want to tell anybody! Certainly Steve Martin was not fooled, but I do wonder about Campbell Scott who played his part with such single-minded intensity.

Anyway, there's a lot of clever dialogue, some of it cribbed ("Beware of enterprises requiring new clothes" is from Thoreau), and some interesting stage business (the tickets, the tennis book, the red-bound book, the camera/gun, the club certificate/request for passage to Venezuela, etc.). And trying to figure out who is up to what will keep you awake. But see this for Rebecca Pidgeon who, in her way, is as original as Mamet. Although her role here is not strictly comedic she reminds me a little of the Japanese comedic actress, Nobuko Miyamoto, widow of director Juzo Itami. She also reminds me of somebody who should be playing Saturday Night Live. Maybe she has.

Rating:
Summary: Great plot twists, but takes a wrong turn
Review: Many of the other reviews have captured my feelings about "The Spanish Prisoner." Certainly it was very well made. The acting was remarkable as was the writing, especially the dialogue in certain scenes. It is the ending, however, that made me think I was suddenly watching another film. So suddenly it became hackneyed and anti-climactic that I ended up being angry after the film was over, not satisfied. The ending felt like an all too hurried cop-out, not the least bit clever or surprising.

I hoped that there would be an alternate ending on the DVD. Alas...this is all there is...

Rating:
Summary: I didn't catch that David - could you repeat it? Thanks.
Review: I watched this when it initially came out, enjoyed it and watched it again recently. This time I found it to be disappointing for a number of reasons:
1. While it is reasonable to point out (as a previous reviewer did) that the entire con genre is now a collection of cliches that can really only be exploited or subverted (ironicised?) an ironic dead carousel horse is still a dead carousel horse and beating it any further is tedious.
2. Repeatedly inverting the current character relationships becomes exhausting for the viewer and further undermines the suspension of disbelief. (I believe Heist guilty of this too)
3. "Mametesque" dialogue delivered in the almost arch way it was in this film effectively shouts "Listen to me". This in turn leads the viewer to consider character credibility more carefully and in my opinion subverts the suspension of disbelief in any given character required for a real "twist" - one moves from "who is guilty" to "who is innocent" not based on events but on pointed delivery - nobody is innocent because nobody sounds authentic.
4. Plot Point Emphasis was way over the acceptable limit - I kept shouting "yeah ok already" at the the tv. The scene on the airplane where the PA whittered on about appearance was painful.
5. For me the acting was stilted; now maybe that's by design but one might ask what kind of design requires stilted acting and whether that is a good design
6. The key scene with the red book was a cheat too - they hid the money shot.

Other reviewers commented on the stupidity of Joe's actions but for me they all flowed beautifully out of Joe's primary (and relatively harmless) character flaw to wit being a desperate social climber. They played him like a violin and it was a painful pleasure to watch.

Mamet has the gift but I think he needs a new genre before 'Mametesque' starts to gather more negative connotations than it deserves.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant? Crap? I can't decide.
Review: I've watched this movie three times in last 24 hours and I can't decide if it's brilliant or just plain crap. It's a rare movie that can make you second-guess your own feelings about it to such an extreme.

The plot has serious holes. Of that there is no question. The acting and dialogue are off kilter, and the overall production of the film borders on TV movie of the week. But it's a Mamet film; he wrote Glen Gary, and so it cannot be dismissed out of hand. This man is far too great a writer to put all these ridiculous plot holes in for no reason (I just wish I knew what the reason was).

Then there's the beautiful Rebecca Pidgeon's performance. She is so utterly fascinating that it's impossible to take your eyes off her. She steals every scene she's in, and makes you crave for her in the ones she's absent from (hence the three viewings). She had the same effect on me in State and Main. I think I'm in love. Steve Martin will blow you away as well. The rest of the performances are less than stellar.

Overall this movie is certainly worth a viewing. Love it or hate it, you'll be intrigued, if not a bit paranoid.

Rating:
Summary: Like a Chippendale chair; more great Mamet craftsmanship
Review: Mamet seems to be attracted to a particular style of acting that doesn't compete with his screenplays, as if too much emotionalism or sometimes too much realism would get in its way. Despite the fact that this seeming trend toward his casting and requirements for character development of his actors is totally discarded with GLENGARRY, GLEN ROSS (a virtuoso masterpiece that plays like the Miles Davis Quintet the late-sixties), it is evident here. The beginning of this movie can come off almost cold, distant and wooden because of it; as if it is screaming the words INTRODUCTION; PROLOGUE; ON TO ACT I while you are watching the characters be introduced.

Nonetheless, what Mamet really seems to demand is an economy of reality and emotion as opposed to the absence of it, as is made manifest in all the moments of the film thereafter. Steve Martin is brilliant in this; he is one of those comedians who, moreso than even the fine/eerie work Robin Williams has been doing the past year and a half, can completely channel his spirit into a serious part in a way that makes you believe he was never a comic actor. Ben Gazzara makes you ignore him, distrust him, dislike him...and then shockingly feel for him in this role of a corporate boss. Campbell Scott, the main character, seems to work within the economy of emotion and reality that I mentioned Mamet seems to require, and where it comes off as wooden in the beginning, there are some profound and provocative scenes that suck you in and make him powerful with every scene thereafter.

Mamet's directing is fine in this movie; little he does distracts you from either the characters or the story. But as you would expect from him, the screenplay is the real star of this film. If you have been hungering for a smart, edgy, thinking man/woman's film to rent before enjoying the quality junk food of X-MEN 2 and the dessert of MATRIX RELOADED (my weekend plans), this is the full, Thanksgiving Day-type meal to fit between the two for you. Describing what this film is truly about--not to mention what the title actually refers to--would actually be giving so much of it away that I advise anyone who hasn't seen it to avoid reviews that do so. Mamet, beginning with HOUSE OF GAMES, has mastered a genre of films to such a degree that THE SPANISH PRISONER will make you wonder if he in fact invented the genre itself.

This will keep you guessing until the end, even when you think you've figured it all out. Good movie.

Rating:
Summary: Warning To Anyone Who Does Not Have A Severe Concussion
Review: If you're not suffering from massive head trauma then chances are you'll go into contortions by the end of this movie (actually making it that far is either an exercise in extreme faith or masochism). I really can't fathom how anyone could give this movie more than two stars, with one coming for well-meaning effort. The basic problem with this movie is the acting: I can't think of one actor in this movie who is believable. Everyone seems to be deliving their lines against their will; I almost wondered if this movie wasn't filmed under hostage circumstance. Steve Martin is underutilized, but that turns out to be a good thing, I suppose. The ending is the most pointless, hokey, "ok let's just get it over with" ending that I've ever seen. I almost feel guilty being this vitriolic--usually when I read reviews as negative as this one ..., especially when other reviewers praise the movie--but egads, I have to speak out. If you have half a brain DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I loved it!

While watching this movie, you'll get so involved that you'll sit at the edge of your seat from the beginning to the very end. This story is full of twists, and turns. You can trust no one.

We were surprised that Steve Martin played a completely serious role. He did an excellent job.

It isn't really an action movie, but more of a suspense mystery. So if you just have to have lots of karate and car chases, you may not enjoy this film. But if you love a good and unpredictable plot, watch this movie!

Rating:
Summary: A thriller for all audiences
Review: Somewhere in the Great Beyond, Alfred Hitchcock is fuming, for this is the last great film that he had in him. If he had somehow managed to cheat death, it would have been he, not David Mamet, who would be taking credit for the fiendishly clever "The Spanish Prisoner". As it is, Hitch will have to settle for merely being the inspiration behind this most excellent diabolical work world nightmare.

Taking its title from the con game, "The Spanish Prisoner" plays sleight of hand with the audience, its writer/director, Mamet, functioning as prestidigitator. The cards comprising the deck of the plot are played out before us, a hand is waved, and everything comes up aces. Casting, plot, and quintessential dialog provided by Mamet, all add up to one of the finest psycho-thrillers to hit the screen in a long, long time.

Campbell Scott plays Joe Ross, a vain young man who has created "The Process" that will net his company untold wealth - so untold that despite a final figure written on a blackboard for all the movers to see, we glimpse only Joe's beaming face. While on a Caribbean excursion to enlighten the powers of his corporate home, Joe meets Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin in a laudable casting decision against type). The mysterious Dell takes Joe under his wealthy wing and eventually asks a favor - that Joe deliver a package to Jimmy's sister when he returns to New York. Once on the plane, Joe's pert new secretary, Susan (Rebecca Pidgeon, Mamet's wife), lapses into a discussion concerning the fate of those asked to be mules for the drug trade. Joe immediately begins to question his taking of Jimmy's package and fears that he may have sabotaged his entire life in an act of Boy Scoutish good graces. Indeed he has, but not in the way he envisions.

No good magician gives away his secrets, nor will I endeavor to elucidate further on Joe's inevitable fate. "The Spanish Prisoner" is a joyously twisted affair that is cunning, ruthlessly efficient, and humorous in its payoff. It is a two hour treasure that I can honestly recommend to just about any thinking person of any age. The plot is a bit too convoluted for young children, but teens and adults will certainly enjoy it.

"But," you cry, "this is a David Mamet film. Doesn't that mean trainloads of profanity?" It's amazing to me to say, but I can't remember anything objectionable at all in this film. True, a PG Mamet seems like an oxymoron, but anyone can watch this. It is quite intense, but no more so than classics like "North by Northwest" or "The Man Who Knew Too Much", two films it closely resembles.

Please give this excellent film a try. Your purchase may entice Hollywood to make more fine features like it.

Rating:
Summary: One of better recent mysteries
Review: The Spanish Prisoner is in a league of its own. Not only is it one of the better mysteries of the decade, but it also achieves such without violence, sex, or profanity. Not that I'm against those mind you, as long as they are there to benefit the plot, and not just for show. What I mean to say rather, that it is astonishing to watch such an absorbing film, and then by the end of it all realize that it did it without traits mentioned above. Much like the Usual Suspects, this film plays with your mind. You are taken on a rollercoaster. Who can you trust? The acting is dead on perfect. Campell Scott is good as the unexciting man in the middle of it all. And believe it or not Steve Martin is perfect in his role. So if you're looking for a good brainteaser, I reccomend this one. Also, look for a cameo by Ed O'Neil, better known as TV's Al Bundy.

Rating:
Summary: There is something about David Mamet ?!!!
Review: WOW! David , You did it again ! Dialogs ... unpredictable ! Everything is , in this movie ! Very unusial , original , talanted writing . And my compliments to the actors - exellent performents !
I just picked it up by exident in the store , and I was so glad I did ! I started watching it , and forgot about everything , I had to finish doing that evening - I watched it twice in a row ! Unpredictable end , middle , mid-middle ... everything ! What a talant ! I am not going to tell you what this movie is about - read other reviews ! I just going to tell you , how I felt , after watching it ... I just did ?! If you love the talant , exellent acting , writing , story ... a MUST se film !