Main Cast: Pochi Ducasse, Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Leticia Brédice, Tomás Fonzi, Ignasi Abadal
Release Year: 2001
Country: AR
Run Time: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Argentine filmmaker Fabian Bielinsky makes his directorial debut with this taut crime thriller about a stamp and con artists on the make. The film opens with low-rent hustler Juan (Gaston Pauls) trying to scam the workers in a convenience store when Marcos (Ricardo Darin) steps in to arrest him. In truth, Marcos is veteran con himself and the two split the money after fleeing the scene. Soon after, Marcos asks Juan to be his partner in a series of small-time jobs. When one of the men gets a message from his sister, the two head to the tony hotel where she works. There they try to pull off a big con that was initially planned by an aging criminal too ill to do it. The swindle centers around a fantastically accurate forgery of a rare stamp called the Nine Queens. As the two doggedly try to set up the deal, mobsters and the like learn of the job and try to horn in. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Review
This movie isn't particularly original, it isn't particularly deep either (although it could be considered a commentary on Argentina's economy), and some of the details don't quite make sense if you scrutinize them. But if you enjoy con-artist films in which nothing is as it seems and nobody is sure whom to trust, then you'll probably find this movie to be a fun ride. The plot has plenty of clever twists and turns to keep viewers on their toes, and the lead actors Ricardo Darin and Gaston Pauls have a good rapport as the two cons who may or may not be able to trust each other as they attempt to make the big score. Granted, the movie does have its flaws. For example, some of the plot coincidences seem rather far-fetched, although that's not suprising for this type of film. But the story moves along at a reasonably brisk pace and the movie has enough humor to keep it from getting too leaden. ~ Todd Kristel, All Movie Guide
Cast
Ricardo Darín - Marcos
Gastón Pauls - Juan
Leticia Brédice - Valeria
Tomás Fonzi - Federico
Ignasi Abadal - Vidal Gandolfo
Alejandro Awada - Washington; Antonio Ugo - D'Agostino; Oscar Nuñez - Sandler; Celia Juarez - Mrs. Sandler; Elsa Berenguer - Berta; Pochi Ducasse
