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Director:
David Mamet
Starring: Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Ben Gazarra
Running Time: 110 minutes
Original UK Release: August 1998
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Trust
no-one. A warning usually associated with the alien-riddled
conspiracy paranoia of The X-Files. But those familiar words
of caution could just as easily be applied to the characters
in David Mamet's fiendishly clever The Spanish Prisoner. In
fact, the director himself shouldn't escape suspicion.
It's only fair to point out from the get-go that too much
detail about the labyrinthine plot would spoil the film for
anyone not familiar with it. This is one of those movies best
approached in blissful ignorance. It works best if you just
sit there and let it impress (and confuse) the hell out of
you. The pleasure is in the discovery.
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So
what is it safe to know? There are no prisoners and
the film isn't set in Spain. The title refers to one
of the world's oldest con tricks. Mamet, a master of
the misleading, a connoisseur of cunning, pulls off
a spectacular cinematic sleight of hand with a film
which is never what it seems. He holds the audience
at arm's length, daring you to figure it our for yourself,
then gleefully pulls the rug from under your feet,
Campbell Scott stars as Joe Ross, a man who invents
a mysterious and immensely valuable new "process"
for his company. It's something we never actually get
to see or learn much about. We just see how wide the
eyes of the executives bulge when he reveals how much
it could be worth.
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But Joe
soon becomes seriously concerned that he's going to miss out
on his fair share of the imminent vast profits his invention
is going to make. Everyone appears to be very supportive (his
boss Ben Gazarra, his infatuated secretary Rebecca Pigeon,
his colleague Rick Jay), but his suspicions are soon aroused
by virtually everyone he meets.
Until
he has a chance encounter with jet-setter Jimmy Dell (Steve
Martin), who advises him to employ a lawyer to protect his
interests. Numerous plot twists follow, all of which are best
kept under wraps, suffice it to say that Mamet virtually toys
with the audience as his compelling movie weaves its wicked
way to its smug but satisfying climax.
His fifth
film as writer/director, Mamet's penchant for cinematic puzzles
had already surfaced in movies such as House of Games, but
The Spanish Prisoner takes his mastery of manipulation and
cunning to a new level, both in terms of writing and direction.
One of
the many masterstrokes is Martin's against-type casting as
Dell, who may or may not be what he seems. The actor had just
come off the back of the distinctly unfunny Sgt Bilko, and
while he had made his reputation as a comic performer, he
proved beyond doubt in this movie that he could also handle
serious dramatic roles.
It's not
a flawless movie by any means, Scott's character can easily
be criticized for being too gullible and people do implausible
things simply because the plot demands it. But this is that
rare thing, a cinematic conundrum which delights, surprises,
infuriates, mesmerizes and manipulates in equal measure. And
there are precious few of those around.
David
Lichtneker
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