Product Details

• Actors: Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Graciela Tenenbaum, María Mercedes Villagra, Gabriel Correa
• Directors: Fabián Bielinsky
• Writers: Fabián Bielinsky
• Producers: Pablo Bossi
• Format: Color, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: Spanish
• Subtitles: English
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: October 1, 2002
• Run Time: 114 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006G8LD
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,742 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Nine Queens joins a line of sly thrillers about master-pupil con artists and games within games within games that includes The Sting, House of Games, and Heist. In the first five minutes, we watch an overt scam--a young Argentinian named Juan (Gastón Pauls) running the two-10s-for-a-5 hornswoggle on a convenience store clerk--then find that we have been tricked along with the bystanders as another brand of deception kicks in. And so it goes as Juan, with both trepidation and excitement, drifts into partnership for a day with an older, more cosmopolitan conman, Marcos (Ricardo Darín). Knocking around Buenos Aires--from gritty downtown to cozy neighborhood side streets to a swank hotel where wealth murmurs behind every door--these damnably resourceful scoundrels try not to miss a bet, including an epic swindle involving the titular "Nine Queens," a set of ultrarare stamps. Writer-director Fabián Bielinsky keeps a taut rein on everything, including his own cleverness. The end result is an entertainment as bracingly disciplined as it is ingenious. --Richard T. Jameson

From The New Yorker
The great Argentinean actor Ricardo Darín plays an experienced grifter who takes a young hopeful (Gastón Pauls) into his confidence game. The seductive and manipulative camerawork and the sly-as-a-fox performance by Darín combine to make a slippery caper movie. There are elements of Mamet and Hitchcock throughout, but the director, Fabián Bielinsky, uses these influences amusingly and crafts an unpredictable entertainment. In Spanish. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too much praise for a movie that isn't overly well-known?, February 26, 2005

By	Bel Alcat "bel_78" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Nine Queens (DVD)

"Nine Queens", or "Nueve Reinas" in its original Spanish title, is one of the more entertaining Argentinian movies I've watched so far. The dialogue is witty, the action doesn't stop, and the acting is flawless. Too much praise for a movie that isn't overly well-known?. Well, even good things are not widely recognized to be so sometimes, and this is one of those occasions.

The theme of the movie is not overly original: two conmen trying to pull off a scam that involves a set of stamps (the "Nine Queens"), and a lot of money. But what makes this movie interesting is how that idea is developed, managing to surprise the spectator until the very end. The director (Fabián Bielinsky) also wrote the script, that won a National Prize in Argentina.

Scam after scam, you will feel you are taking part of the many "adventures" of a very seasoned Marcos (Ricardo Darín) and an endearingly young and idealistic Juan (Gastón Pauls) in their quest to become rich, albeit for very different reasons. The question is, who is conning whom?.

All in all, I think you will thoroughly like this movie. The story and the acting are great, and so is the beautiful setting, the city of Buenos Aires. Watch it, and enjoy :)

Belen Alcat

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Conning the Con, September 16, 2002

By	Brian Bunton (Conway, SC) - See all my reviews

Conning the con. It's a concept almost as old as conning itself. But the story in "Nine Queens", written and directed by Fabian Bielinsky as the winner of a Project Greenlight-style contest, takes a different spin. Who is the real conman? And what is the real con?

"Nine Queens" is the story of two conmen. One is a seasoned pro, the other a small-time hack. Each has his own family responsibilities (or lack thereof). And each is very talented at getting what he wants. The older, more experienced con decides to take the young guy on as his partner for the day. Think of it as a sort of "Training Day" for crooks. Oops, I'm sorry, they're
not crooks. Crooks carry guns and use means other than their wit and mental agility to score. These boys are keepin' it real in Buenos Aires.

And so the plot thickens. The obligitory Big Con of the movie happens to involve nine rare stamps, known as the Nine Queens. Forgeries have been made, and our heroes are on a mission to sell the fakes to a collector who is short on time and cannot guarantee their authenticity. What twists and turns await our beleaguered duo? There are plenty, and much of the fun of this movie is watching it unfold.

The movie even works on a level if you don't care about the mystery what is really going on. Toward the beginning, each sequence exposes you to a series of one-upsmanship. One rips off a convenience store, the other rips off a coffee shop. Then one gets money free-will from a stranger in her house, the other gets a purse free-will from a woman in an elevator. And on it goes. By the time things get hot and heavy, we hardly notice that it continues, but the stakes get higher and paranoia reigns.

The final enjoyable aspect of this film is the acting performances. Strong performances by the three leads, as they're able to glide through this movie with slick moves and even slicker tongues. While it's tried in most Hollywood films, it works in this one due to the strong script. The words match the characters. Unfortunately, the supporting cast isn't as talented. The younger brother and the creator of the forgeries felt like they walked in off the street. However, it doesn't distract from the overall feel of the movie as much as you might think.

All in all, this is a comedy about trust. Trust in your partner. Trust in yourself. Trust in your family. Even trust in complete strangers. But most of all, for the director, it's about trust in your audience. Just after you feel that you're supposed to get a twist, the film will let you revel in it for a beat, then expose it to all its glory. In no movie I've seen has this worked so satisfyingly well. And the audience is richly rewarded.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Human nature and the Argenine economy. Good caper film., August 16, 2004

By	Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Nine Queens (DVD)

This 2000 Argentine import is a caper film that kept my eyes glued to the screen. Yes, nothing is what it seems. And the twists and turns in the plot require utmost concentration. And then, just when I thought I had it all figured out, everything changes again.

I think the script was wonderful. And so was the acting and directing. The pacing is excellent too. And everything moved along swiftly. There seems to be a plot within a plot within a plot. And everything is revealed just a little at a time.

The Nine Queens of the title refers to a sheet of counterfeit stamps. But there are questions raised about these stamps also. Nothing in this film is what it seems. And yet, it is put together in an extremely coherent fashion.

It's about human nature, of course. But then, it's also a bit about the Argentine economy. You have to see it to understand. Definitely recommended.