Rating: 
Summary: For those who like clever mind games.
Review: This movie is a real hour and half mind game, full of some suprising and some not so suprising plot twists. You follow the main character as he trys to decide who telling the truth, who is telling lies, and what everyones elses lies mean. The main character is a man who has created a process that will make his company a very large amount of money. The screenplay is very carefull not to say what the process is, it doesn't matter execpt that it exists, and is very valueable. While he is at a meeting in the bahamas he meets a man played by Steve Martin who might or might not be who he says he is, and begins something of a relationship with a company secratary who is always throwing out supsisious opinions about the other characters. The rest of the movie is a complicated series of plot twists and turns. The movie challages the viewer to keep up with the plot and the mind games, and like any good mystery while the end is always one of a few standard fare, it dares you to guess how it is going to go there. This is not a movie for everybody, if you want a fast paced action thriller this isn't it. The movie depends on how much you appeciate the clever conversations and the little mind games, those who don't like these will probalbly hate this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The Spanish Prisoner will take you captive.
Review: What refreshment! I loudly applaud the makers of this glorious film for standing up and showing the world that you don't need to spend the kind of money a third world country makes in a year just to tell a good story. This film was a pleasant surprise on a birthday theater date a couple of years ago. Rather than throwing all the punches it had to offer during the credits and exasperating the storyline within half an hour, this film presented itself like one of Emeril's dishes - plenty of spice, slowly but properly cooked, and with an occassional "bam!". I have always been a tremendous fan of Steve Martin - but have usually preferred his more intellectual films. He proved his genius and good taste in his updated versions of "Cyrano De Bergerac" and "Silas Marner" with the films "Roxanne" and "A Simple Twist of Fate". His participation in this film - along with a role that is an about face for him - solidifies his brilliance. This script is impeccable - Hitchcockian - and, as I understand from the credits - a remake of a black and white thriller.which I am now dying to see. It focuses on the subsequent circumstances the inventor of a "secret formula" finds himself drawn into. Rather than focusing on the formula, as many blockbusters would, the film takes a more intelligent twist, leaving the formula in the background and the audience more unsuspecting. Pigeon's performance as the love interest in the film may appear shallow through a first viewing, but a second viewing will make you sit up and notice the depth that she portrays. Our leading man portrays naivete in a manner so realistic, the film envelops an almost documentary atmosphere - which, in turn, delivers a far more sinister punch than it would if the central character were some type of superhuman character. As an "average joe", he easily gains sympathy and believability. In fact, the power of the film lies heavily in its' realistic direction and character development. Unless you are impressed with detail and find a lack of eye candy to be somewhat of a relief, this film may not be for you. But, if you enjoy scripts that leave your mind spinning and planning a second viewing as the credit rolls by - this is the film for you.
Rating:
Summary: great suspension and Martin's best performance
Review: This is really the greatest suspension film I have ever seen in recent years, with clever plots but without over stating any. Steve Martin played his perhaps the best role in years, and he looked so cool and sleek in this film without any of his typical funny acts, which I think is his best performance ever. The rest of cast are good too, although Rebecca seems weak.
Rating:
Summary: An almost 5
Review: Well, at least it's nice that Hitchcock has a great legacy. In The Spanish Prisoner, Campbell Scott gives a great performance as a brilliant inventor whose too good for his own good. In fact, all the acting in The Spanish Prisoner is great, as is the directing, the dialogue, and the plot. The problem though for The Spanish Prisoner is the one for most mystery/someone's-being-framed! movies - it gets too unrealistic. At times I was left to wonder if it was The Truman Show by Hitchcock, and sure the main character Joseph may be naive and would obviously make some dumb mistakes as would any ordinary person under extraordinary pressure, but I would have expected some more common sense for a protagonist from the world's prominant play/film writer. And the cumulating coincidences don't help either. I was left to wonder if anyone Joe passed by didn't know all about him. But the ending was neat, as unlikely as it was, and altogether is was an incredibly enjoyable film that everyone who has a brain, as low as that total might be, should see. I wanted to give it 5 stars, but it's almost mediocre execution of a great story with great lines pushed it to a high 4. Look for great performances by Pigeon and as usual, Steve Martin. The music is wonderful, too.
Rating: 
Summary: My conclusion: Do not follow recommendations
Review: So this is it. This is the time when I wake up and realize that I will not share everything that people write ... . Of course, you have to try it prior to judging it and so I did. I had previous shortcomings with music advice but it was minor, specially considering I do tend to like everything I listen to. On the other hand, spending over an hour watching a painfully slow, randomly acted, wildly scripted piece of film does seem to take its toll. It sure did in my case. I can't speak for everyone, in fact I can't speak for anyone, but I do know for a fact that this was not a movie I enjoyed. If you think, for one second, that because of the casting this may prove me wrong you are the one who is mistaken. This was horribly bland, the plot is filled with twists and turns (most of them uncalled for) but the ending is quite predictable. Simply avoid this, if you have any sense left in your self, at all costs. It will marr your appreciation ...
Rating:
Summary: Once Again, the Con is On
Review: When you meet a stranger, your first impression is often very telling, and good instincts can be very valuable. Because people are not always whom or what they appear to be, which is the case in "The Spanish Prisoner," written and directed by David Mamet. As can be expected in a Mamet story, the con is on once again, and this time it involves a certain valuable formula developed by a man named Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) for a company run by a Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara). It's a formula that will put them ahead of the Japanese for the next three to five years, and during that time it's going to make everyone in the company very rich. Only two people have access to the formula, which is written on Xerox-proof paper and kept in a safe: Joe and Mr. Klein. Joe, however, is somewhat concerned about being properly compensated for his work, as he is not a full time employee of the company, but took this particular job as a work-for-hire; and Mr. Klein has a way of putting off any talk of how much Joe can expect by telling him to wait until the "Board meeting." And it's making Joe a bit anxious. In the meantime, Joe meets another man, Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin), a wealthy businessman who ingratiates himself with Joe and in a subtle, passive-aggressive way inflames Joe's doubts about whether or not he will eventually get his due from Mr. Klein and the company. Joe has no reason to suspect that Jimmy wants anything from him; Jimmy apparently has enough irons in his own fires and he shows no real interest in whatever it is that Joe is involved in, business wise. He's merely a man who seems to know finance, and his counsel to Joe is nothing more than well-disposed advice to a friend with a mutual concern from someone with experience. Jimmy even goes so far as offering to have his lawyers look into Joe's affairs. Joe is not exactly naive, but he lacks experience in these matters. He trusts Jimmy, but he still wants to believe that Mr. Klein and the company will do right by him eventually. It's something of a conundrum, but very quickly things begin to happen that force Joe's hand and make it necessary for him to make some decisions. And it all comes down to the age old question: Who do you trust? Mamet certainly knows how to weave a web, and what makes this one so effective is the fact that with a clever, detailed screenplay he never lets the audience in on anything more than what they have to know at any given point in time. Watching the story unfold, you never know any more than what Joe knows, which allows you to experience it all first hand, so to speak, through Joe. It all becomes very confusing very quickly, and it's supposed to be; it's what makes it so engrossing and very subtly gets you inching ever closer to the edge of your seat. You-- like Joe-- know that something is going on, but you never know exactly what or who's behind it. That it has something to do with the formula and Joe's access to it is obvious early on, but beyond that, anything goes. It's complex storytelling, and Mamet makes it even more mesmerizing with his unique touch of having his actors deliver their lines in a clipped, rhythmic manner, which combined with the plot makes this spellbinding cinema. Campbell Scott is well cast as Joe Ross; he has the look and affects a manner completely compatible with his character. Anyone who has ever been in a position in which things are not quite clear will be able to identify with him, and Scott never lets the character get ahead of where he's supposed to be, as far as what he could possibly know and when, and it adds credibility to the fact that a con like this can be perpetrated at all. If Scott didn't do his job, it would be like having a crack in the dam, and the water would quickly come gushing out. But he does do his job, and it keeps the tension and the mystery in tact until the very end. In a dramatic role, Steve Martin is effective playing somewhat against type in the role of Jimmy. He's convincing, and displays an aloofness that makes everything he does believable and, like Scott, he never tips his character's hand or does anything to reveal any more than he should. The winsome Rebecca Pidgeon gives an absolutely enticing performance as Susan Ricci, the "new girl" with the company who befriends Joe and gives him the encouragement he needs as he attempts to make some sense of all that is happening. Pidgeon has an extremely direct approach and employs Mamet's style of acting perfectly (few actors have been able to utilize that rhythm more effectively, in fact; Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy and Lindsay Crouse among them), and she has a quality that draws your attention, no matter who else may be in the scene with her. Arguably, it is her performance that defines the realism of Mamet's world. The supporting cast includes Ricky Jay (George), Felicity Huffman (Pat McCune), Ed O'Neill (F.B.I. Team Leader), Paul Butler (Bookbinder) and J.J. Johnston (Doorman). With a cryptic title taken from one of the oldest con games on the books, "The Spanish Prisoner" is riveting drama that will keep you guessing until the very end. But be forewarned; like "Enemy of the State," this film has the ability to induce paranoia. It may make you take a closer look at your co-workers and neighbors, and if you don't already have a caller ID on your telephone, you'll probably want to get one, and soon. Such is the impact a film like this can have, and it's all a part of the magic of the movies.
Rating:
Summary: Will kill you slowly
Review: A rather bizarre piece of film with a sufficiently interesting beginning that falls deep into abyss after the first fifteen minutes. Unsteady acting by everyone, except perhaps for Steve Martin and that does say a lot as to the drama character of this movie. Unpaced scenes, dialogue that must translate better to the stage than to the celluloid and baffling casting. Eventually, you try to make the most of the moment and attempt at finding a point to the whole trama, however and once you are almost to the point of sacrificing intelect for a momentary lapse of stupidity, the ending hits you like a brick mortar in Gaza. Don't bet on the reviews you read here, (as I did), avoid purchasing this movie and look for it on your video store if you think that I am full of it. You won't regret it... I did.
Rating:
Summary: I guess I have to choose 1 or 5 stars...
Review: It seems that people are split on these movie, and naturally they all think that the people on the other side are complete morons with brains unfit (or perfectly fit?) for human bodies. This can probably be chalked up to fact that the movie IS a very arrogant movie made by an arrogant director. But arrogance by itself doesn't doom a movie. In fact, since everyone seems to think they are "above-average" in intelligence, then why should Mamet, who is very intelligent be vilified for reflecting that attitude in his movies? It's interesting that many people decided to rip on Pigeon's acting. Perhaps I was wrong, but I thought that her "wooden"-ness reflected excellent acting. In that "wooden"-ness I saw a character who possessed extreme contempt for the ibecile nature of Scott's character to the point that she can not bear to play the role assigned to her in the con. Whether or not the viewer likes her choice of words or manner, it is the manner that she was expected to play in the context of the con. Once again, Scott's character is supposed to be stupid. While many of the negative and positive reviews are simply differences in taste, I noticed that many, especially of the negative reviews took major exception to Scott's character's stupidity. Just because you don't see yourself falling for a con, doesn't mean that it would never happen to anyone or that it wouldn't make an interesting story. This is certainly not the case with all of the negative reviews, but many of them seem to find the reviewer trying to live the role of the main character. This seems to be what most of the more popular films are geared for. Perhaps that's why we always get all of these ridiculous flix with undeveloped heroic main characters. In this case, if you do that, naturally the film would be very insulting.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money on this one
Review: This film came recommended to me so I took a chance on it. What a mistake! Believe me when I tell you there is no suspension of disbelief with this movie. The movie is about some genius who comes up with a 'process' that will be worth millions and then gets scammed by a group of people. I won't give away the whole movie, but the whole idea that this person would be so gullible and stupid to fall for a scam like this made the movie more of a bad comedy than a thriller. I just could not buy the story at all.
Rating:
Summary: A very different (and welcome) kind of suspense flick
Review: Imagine a suspense story set in a high tech industry with hardly a computer in sight, without gore, stereotypical characters or dialogue fashioned from the short list of words that cannot be used on network television. What's left? The Spanish Prisoner, an intelligent, quirky, well played film. Campell Scott plays Joe, an engineer who has slaved in a small boiler room office for who knows how long, creating an unnamed, unseen product that could propel his company instantly to Microsoft-like power and money. Joe is a fundamentally good person who is not so meek as to let the company walk off with his invention without at least inquiring as to how he will be compensated. He is also not above having his head turned when friendship is offered by a Gatsby type character played by Steve Martin. Thus distracted, the basically naive Joe suddenly finds himself at the center of some bad business. To reveal more is to spoil a concatenation of plot twists. This film is executed in high style. It is written with respect for language and its rhythms. Even the surreal aspects that surround Joe touch on familiar realities. Joe's office is out of Dilbert, Kafka, Melville and all of our workplaces. The secretary played by Rebecca Pidgeon could have been that annoying girl down the hall in your freshman dormitory. The scenes of wealth shown or suggested by Martin's character tap into all our fantasies of how the jet set lives. So Joe gets sucked in; so do we. As suspense films go, you can anticipate several of the twists, but not the last one, which is sort of a deus ex machina. By that time, though, it's clear that this isn't reality TV anyway; it's more about the human factor and what constitutes good and bad.
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