The Spanish Prisoner is a 1997 American suspense film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara and Ricky Jay. The film tells the story of an elaborate confidence game, known as the Spanish Prisoner.
In 1999 the film was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay but was eventually edged out by Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight[1].
Plot
Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) is a corporate engineer who has recently invented a very lucrative industrial process that has not yet been patented. While on a corporate retreat at an island resort, Joe befriends a wealthy stranger, Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin), and one of the company's new secretaries, Susan Ricci (Rebecca Pidgeon). Back home in America, Jimmy suggests that Joe's company might not give him fair compensation for his work. Susan also makes vague suggestions that Joe should not trust anyone.
Jimmy convinces Joe to use his legal counsel and bring the only copy of the process, but Joe learns that Jimmy is actually a confidence man who is attempting to steal his valuable work. Joe contacts an FBI agent he has been introduced to and is enlisted in a sting operation. To his horror, Joe learns that the person he has contacted is posing as an FBI agent but is actually part of Jimmy's con game. His process has been stolen, and he has been thoroughly swindled.
Joe attempts to explain what happened to his employer (Gazzara) and the police, but they do not believe him. The con has made it appear that he has sold his process to the Japanese. After being released on bail, Joe reconnects with Susan, who believes his story and continues to express a romantic interest in him. Joe remembers that the hotel where the retreat took place maintains tapes of video surveillance, which would prove the existence of Jimmy. Susan guides his attempt to get to the hotel, until he ultimately discovers that she, too, is a part of this elaborate con.
Jimmy tracks Joe to a ferry, alone except for a couple of Asian passengers. Jimmy makes it plain that the final step of this con is going to be Joe's death. Just before Jimmy can kill Joe, though, he is hit with a tranquilizer dart shot by an Asian woman. Joe discovers that US Marshals have been monitoring Jimmy's con since the beginning, hiding in plain sight as Japanese tourists.
Susan, too, is led away by the law, continuing to try to gain Joe's favor even while under arrest.
Reception
The film has been generally well received by critics and fans alike. The aggregate review website Rotten Tomatoes recorded an 89%[2] fresh rating for the film as of February 5, 2008 while, as of the same date, another aggregate review website, Metacritic, recorded a score of 70%[3], classified as Generally favorable reviews by the website's rating system. Film critic Roger Ebert awarded the film 3½ stars out of 4 calling it "delightful" and comparing it to works of Alfred Hitchcock[4]. James Berardinelli of Reelviews.net, who gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, also compared Mamet's script to Hitchcock's works claiming that it "supplies us with a seemingly-endless series of twists and turns, only a fraction of which are predictable" as well as praising the actors by saying that "nearly every major performance is impeccable".[5]
Reviewer Paul Tatara, on the other hand, criticized the film for using well-worn plot mechanisms, "stiff characterizations and ridiculous line readings".[6]
Factual basis
There are several factual errors in the plot:
- The US Marshals Service would not investigate a crime of this type, which would be treated as a state offense in the United States.[7]
- No tranquilizer dart is sufficiently fast-acting that it could prevent a man from pulling the trigger of a pistol (see "Tranquilizer dart").
References
- ^ 1999 Edgar Award Nominees. Accessed February 5, 2008.
- ^ The Spanish Prisoner at Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed February 5, 2008.
- ^ The Spanish Prisoner at Metacritic. Accessed February 5, 2008.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. The Spanish Prisoner, Chicago Sun-Times, April 24, 1998. Accessed February 5, 2008.
- ^ Berardinelli, James. [1], Reelviews.net, 1998. Accessed February 5, 2008.
- ^ Review: Stilted script traps actors in 'Spanish Prisoner', CNN, 1998-04-05
- ^ Brian Beckwith, Deputy Director, United States Marshals Service, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, WAMU, Washington, DC, December 6, 2007
External links
