Customer Reviews

The Spanish Prisoner

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(44)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

The art of the confidence game, or con, for short...very few manage to bring it to the screen as well or a clever as David Mamet, and The Spanish Prisoner (1997) is, while not in my opinion his best, but better than most, and certainly is a good display of Mamet's writing and style for direction. Written and directed by Mamet (House of Games, Glengarry Glen Ross, Wag the Dog), the film stars Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Ben Gazzara, and Rebecca Pidgeon (who's married to Mamet).

Scott plays Joseph Ross, an inventor who creates a top secret mathematical formula of sorts intended to allow for the manipulation of the stock market somehow, and has the potential to make a lot, a whole lot, of money for the company he works for...problem is Ross is beginning to have doubts about receiving his fair share, what he believes he's entitled to, from the company that plans to utilize the formula. As he tries to negotiate an equitable agreement with the company, he meets a well to do businessman by the name of Julian `Jimmy' Dell (Martin) to which they become friendly, with Jimmy even offering to assist Joseph by putting him in contact with a lawyer that deals with contract law and proprietary information. But nothing is what it seems in this film, as Joseph soon learns as he's accused of theft of the formula, and even murder, as evidence begins appearing that certainly points the finger at him, becoming the perfect patsy. Will he be able to fully understand the intricacies of the con and learn who's involved before he captured by the police and/or FBI? I know, but you'll just have to watch to find out...

I really enjoyed this film, and all its' intricate twists and turns. It's difficult to talk about without giving anything away, but the story is truly a wonderful mystery that will keep you guessing until the end, even if you manage to uncover some of the elements for yourself. The crafting of the con within the story is really good, even though we see so very little of the machinations and planning behind it, instead seeing only the end results, as Scott's character is drawn into a world of fabrication, deceit, and lies. My favorite role here was the character played by Steve Martin. I thought he did an excellent job presenting a charming and sophisticated character, playing the rare serious role. I do enjoy many of his comedic roles, but it's always a treat to see an actor successfully break out of his/her element and show they are more than what we see on the surface. Scott was good, although I felt his character was just a bit too gullible at times, especially given the nature of his work. I've never really cared for him much as an actor as he reminds me too much of that lame white guy from the 3rd season of MTV's The Real World (I think his name was Judd). He was such a smarmy, wishy washy annoyance always following the majority, trying to present an image of the understanding, evolved, sophisticated, yet oh-so-sensitive male in touch with his feminine side, ever careful never to appear politically incorrect for fear of being offensive to the viewers on the other end of the camera, spouting meaningless phrases that make you want to punch him in the face like "I feel your pain", or "Why can't we all just get along?" but I digress...

A couple of things about Mamet's movies, sort of his signatures to me, is the direction by Mamet giving the film the feel of not so much watching a film but of watching a play on film unfold outside of a stage and also the often times odd dialogue spoken throughout by a number of lead characters. I think the latter element is what may put some viewers off, as it can sound very unrealistic and sometime contrived. I mean have you ever heard anyone say, "Worry is like interest paid in advance on a debt that never comes due"? It sounds nice, but I know of no one in real life that talks like this, spouting strange and introspective statements off the cuff (you could catch a beating in my neighborhood for doing so). I suppose the character played by Rebecca Pidgeon had the most noticeably odd lines, especially seeming out of her character. Maybe these looked good on paper, but I feel it takes a really good actor to pull them off on screen, and make them sound natural. I like Rebecca Pidgeon, as she's very sexy in a demure way and, I believe, a capable actress, but I felt she wasn't able to pull off some of the lines she was given here, within the context of her character.

The picture presented here looks very clear and crisp, and the disc is two sided, with a wide screen version on one side, and full screen format on the other. I did feel the audio was a bit soft, but English subtitles are available. I did find the subtitles didn't always match exactly what was spoken, and I thought that a little weird. Not much here with regards to special features other than a theatrical trailer and brief production notes on the insert inside the DVD.

Overall, I think The Spanish Prisoner is a very good, low-key mystery thriller that will keep you on your toes until the end and does have replay value if only to better understand the layered complexities within the story (I've seen it twice), but I still feel a better Mamet film to watch is the first he wrote and directed in House of Games, with Lindsay Crouse and Joe Mantegna.

Cookieman108

Written and directed by David Mamet, this clever thriller of industrial espionage is full of surprising twists and turns which keep the viewer on the edge of the seat. Joe Ross (Campbell Scott), a young man working under a special contract, has developed "the process" which will allow a company to control the global market. Only Ross and the company president, Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara), have keys to the safe where the notes on the process are kept, and high security has been maintained, but Ross is edgy. Klein has not paid him a bonus and is dragging his feet about rewarding him appropriately.

Devious manipulators conspire to make Ross even more uncertain about Klein's loyalty, hoping they can steal the formula and sell it to European or Japanese competitors. Front and center in the plot is Jimmy Dell (smarmily played by Steve Martin), who masquerades as a very wealthy high flyer, appealing to Ross's desire to get what he deserves and fears he won't get from Mr. Klein. Appealing to Ross's natural paranoia, Dell soon has him doing exactly what he wants, as Ross tries to "protect" himself from Klein.

This intricately plotted conspiracy keeps the viewer on the edge of the chair, trying to figure out what is going on. As Ross begins to discover Dell's lies, the film offers one surprise after another, and these surprises keep coming right up to the blockbuster ending. Viewers will be fascinated to look back to see how the conspiracy and the plotting have set them up for the surprises. The music introducing the film is appropriately romantic, mysterious, and ominous, and repeats throughout for emphasis. The cinematography (Gabriel Beristain), even for somewhat trite scenes, is effective and adds to the suspense.

Unfortunately, the dialogue is filled with clichés and clunky remarks, a surprise considering Mamet's stage background. Unrealistic and ponderous comments abound, always followed by a trenchant pause. Dell, remarking to Ross about his sister, says, "All we ever had was each other (pause)." A policeman tells Ross, "You'll be back (pause)." Another says, "Always do business as if the person you're doing business with is [betraying] you (pause)." The acting is generally good, and Ed O'Neil has a nice cameo as an FBI investigator. Rebecca Pidgeon, Mamet's wife, plays Susan Ricci, a role which is not clearly developed or integrated and for which she seems a bit too mature. Despite the clumsy dialogue, this is an exciting film, great fun to watch for its unexpected twists and turns. Mary Whipple

First, there is Mamet's dialogue: punchy, pungent, at once surreal and downright earthy, a pidgin English that starts out sounding weird and contrived in the actor's mouths and ends sounding as honest as breathing. Remember, this guy is also a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.

Then there's Mamet's plotting: we know there are going to be "bad" people--masters of the Big Con--conniving to steal Campbell Scott's lucrartive "process" (one of the best MacGuffin's since Hitchcock), but trying to determine who's in on it and who's an innocent (?) bystander is one of the ongoing delightful puzzles of the movie. Mamet slowly reveals the true colors of his characters like a master at stud poker. Eventually poor Campbell realizes he's been robbed, framed and screwed eight ways til Sunday (in a brilliant interrogation scene where most of the pieces come together), and as viewers, we feel as tightly trapped as he does.

Finally there are the perfomaces: Scott's nicely understated playing of the niave but brainy techno-geek, Steve Martin's deft characterization of the moody, mysterious millionare, and Rebecca Pigeon's suspiciously winsome gal Friday. Many of Mamet's old "Chicago school" regulars show up, though poor Ricky Jay gets stuck mouthing a lot of platitudes--one of the few weakness of Mamet's script.

Yes, maybe this film isn't quite as brilliant as "House of Games," Mamet's previous exploration of the Big Con, but darn few movies are. The deus ex machina ending is less satisfying than "House"'s more character-driven conclusion, and I sure miss Joe Mantegna (no one spits out Mamet's dialog with quite his authority). Nonetheless, "Prisoner" stands up to multiple viewings without losing its appeal or mystery, and may in fact require more than one viewing in order to be truly appreciated for its labyrinthine plotting and underlying themes.

This has been my favorite film for quite a while and I've seen it many times. Some of the criticisms one will read about this film are exactly the reasons why I love it so much. The odd manner of language used is a charm to me. Pidgeon is wonderful in her role and performs it perfectly. Martin is scary in this unusual role for him and Scott plays an excellent naive boy scout type. This film is definitely not for everyone.....in fact, most may find it annoying or hard to watch. I find it delightful and challenging. I give this intelligent PG movie accolades for not succumbing to the sleaze and vulgarity that a lot of films portray. A work of art. Five stars.

Loved this movie. It had great mystery and tongue and cheek humor at the same time. I really don't want to give anything away because I knew nothing about this film when I saw it, which was great because there were so many twists that kept me completely interested throughout. The main character, Joe, can't trust anyone and you'll see why. Enjoy.

If you can look beyond the usual staccato Mametian dialogue and the uneveness always caused by casting Mamet's wife Rebecca Pidgeon in the leading female role, then you've got yourself a very fine movie - probably David Mamet's best as writer/director in my opinion. I know many people will choose 'House of Games,' but I thought the 'Prisoner' storyline was better, and I really like the work turned in by Mamet novices Campbell Scott (whose combination of brains and naivete drives the film), Ben Gazzara and especially Steve Martin, who plays totally against type here.

In the Mamet-penned 'Wag the Dog' we hear over and over again "It's a pageant." Replace that here with "It's a process." We hear over and over again about The Process. We never find out what exactly the Process is (that's not the point), but all actions and reactions in 'Prisoner' involve securing, stealing and resecuring The Process. It's a classic Mametian plot device and it works great here.

For Mamet fans, there's a subset of regulars, most notably Mamet house players Ricky Jay and Jerry Graff. ['Glengarry Glen Ross' fans ought to recognize that name.]

Also - be on the lookout for Ed O'Neill for a brief - but memorable - turn as an FBI Team Leader.

And keep your eyes on that suitcase.

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.

You can forget the dreaded Fear of Foreign Films. "The Spanish Prisoner" is in English. In fact, it takes place in America. This movie is so great that I'm giving you but one clue about the title. It does not refer to a person. If you haven't seen it or read about it, but know what the term means, I doubt I'd want to be within a thousand miles of you.

The director and writer, David Mamet, is both talented and prolific. His many writing credits include "Ronin", "Wag the Dog", "The Edge" and "The Untouchables". As good as his work is on big projects, he truly excels on smaller ones such as "The Spanish Prisoner", 1988's "Things Change", and 1987's "House of Games".

Reviewers relentlessly compare countless suspense thrillers to those of the master, Alfred Hitchcock. They cringe in horror at any remake of one of his films, even before it goes into production. Mamet's film follows the formula of the genre so perfectly that I suspect Hitch himself would have loved it and perhaps would not have seen an attempt to imitate his style.

What Mamet understands is that a thriller is not the same animal as a mystery. A thriller has less to do with who done it that it does with the suspense created by our trying to figure out how - or if - the main character is going to get out of the terrible mess he or she has gotten trapped in. I have always found this setting to be especially chilling, because it makes me think of a large spider's web.

You will note that it is rated PG. Don't be fooled by that innocent tag. It's dark, intense and devious. It is crammed with characters who lie, cheat and steal with style and relish. You could almost say they love their work. The movie is so rated because it's a rare example of substance over style.

Except for Steve Martin, the cast members have made careers by working in independent productions. I must tell you that Mr. Martin's character is serious, and he is excellent as an affable yet mysterious businessman.

"The Spanish Prisoner" has several layers to it. It may be the best film of its type you'll see this year, and on that level, it is pure entertainment. Underneath the fun and games, there is a chilling indictment of the way big business is conducted. David Mamet is most sophisticated, and the viewpoint is that things are run today in the same way they have been for centuries. When huge sums of money show up, even otherwise honest people can quickly be filled with greed and lust. Why, when the Spaniards arrived at what is now Mexico City, they encountered what was then the largest city in the world. What they saw was gold in quantities they never dreamed existed. Unfortunately for the Aztecs, they'd never bothered to have it appraised.

As in all of Mamet's work, "The Spanish Prisoner" is full of memorable dialog. I'll never know how this technique went out of style. "Hasta la vista, baby" does not a screenplay make. Dialog is the way characters are developed and defined. It also sets the tone. So Mamet's characters say words like this: "We must never forget we are human, and as humans we dream, and when we dream, we dream of money." Or this: "Never trust an enterprise that requires you to buy new clothes." These words easily connect us to the way the characters think and feel.

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.

For those of you who bemoaned the fact that David Mamet didn't make another movie soon after the psychological thriller "House of Games," this movie is for you. Well-acted, well-directed, this movie has a pace that moves along just ahead of you, never letting you see around the bend. Who is good? Who is evil? And is our protagonist, played by the wonderful indie actor Campbell Scott, losing his mind?

Part of the intrigue of this movie is that it never gives away too much--for instance, you never do find out what the mysterious documents are that Campbell Scott is trying so hard to recapture. And while the turnaround of one of the characters is forecase somewhat, hold onto your seat--there's another surprise coming.

This is an intelligent, swift-moving psychological drama. Mamet throws away most of the profanity of his plays in favor of character development and suspense.