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Tarantino we recognize because of the way his dialogue, like Mark Twain's, unfurls down the corridors of long, inventive progressions, collecting proper names and trademarks along the way, to arrive at preposterous generalizations--delivered flatly, as if they were the simple truth.

Mamet is even easier to recognize. His characters often speak as if they're wary of the world, afraid of being misquoted, reluctant to say what's on their minds: As a protective shield, they fall into precise legalisms, invoking old sayings as if they're magic charms. Often they punctuate their dialogue with four-letter words, but in "The Spanish Prisoner'' there is not a single obscenity, and we picture Mamet with a proud grin on his face, collecting his very first PG rating.

The movie does not take place in Spain and has no prisoners. The title refers to a classic con game. Mamet, whose favorite game is poker, loves films where the characters negotiate a thicket of lies. "The Spanish Prisoner'' resembles Alfred Hitchcock in the way that everything takes place in full view, on sunny beaches and in brightly lit rooms, with attractive people smilingly pulling the rug out from under the hero and revealing the abyss.

The hero is Joe Ross ( Campbell Scott ), who has invented a Process that will make so much money for his company that when he writes the figure on a blackboard, we don't even see it, only the shining eyes of executives looking at it. ("The Process,'' he says. Pause. "And by means of the Process, to control the world market.'' The missing words are replaced by greed.) He works for Mr. Klein ( Ben Gazzara ), who has convened a meeting in the Caribbean to discuss the Process. Also on hand is George, a company lawyer played by Ricky Jay--a professional magician and expert in charlatans, who is Mamet's friend and collaborator. And there is Susan ( Rebecca Pidgeon , Mamet's wife), whose heart is all aflutter for Joe Ross, and who is very smart and likes to prove it by saying smart things that end on a triumphant note, as if she expects a gold star on her report card. ("I'm a problem solver, and I have a heart of gold.'') To the Caribbean island comes a man named Jimmy Dell ( Steve Martin ), who may or may not have arrived by seaplane. We see how Mamet creates uncertainty: Joe thinks the man arrived by seaplane, but Susan thinks he didn't, and provides photographic proof (which, as far as we can see, proves nothing), and in the end it doesn't matter if he arrives by seaplane or not; the whole episode is used simply to introduce the idea that Jimmy Dell may not be what he seems.

He seems to be a rich, friendly New Yorker, who is trying to conceal an affair with a partner's wife. He says he has a sister in New York, and gives Joe a book to deliver to her ("Might I ask you a service?''). Joe has thus accepted a wrapped package from a stranger that he plans to take on board a plane; you see how our minds start working, spotting conspiracies everywhere. But at this point the plot summary must end, before the surprises begin. I can only say that anything as valuable as the Process would be a target for industrial espionage, and that when enough millions of dollars are involved, few people are above temptation.

"The Spanish Prisoner'' is delightful in the way a great card manipulator is delightful. It rolls its sleeves above its elbows to show it has no hidden cards, and then produces them out of thin air. It has the buried structure of a card manipulator's spiel, in which a "story'' is told about the cards, and they are given personalities and motives, even though they are only cards. Our attention is misdirected--we are human, and invest our interest in the human motives attributed to the cards, and forget to watch closely to see where they are going and how they are being handled. Same thing with the characters in "The Spanish Prisoner.'' They are all given motives--romance, greed, pride, friendship, curiosity--and all of these motives are inventions and misdirections; the magician cuts the deck, and the joker wins.

There is, I think, a hole in the end of the story big enough to drive a ferryboat through, but then again there's another way of looking at the whole thing that would account for that, if the con were exactly the reverse of what we're left believing. Not that it matters. The end of a magic trick is never the most interesting part; the setup is more fun, because we can test ourselves against the magician, who will certainly fool us. We like to be fooled. It's like being tickled. We say "Stop! Stop!'' and don't mean it.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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The Spanish Prisoner (1998)

Rated PG For Thematics Including Tension, Some Violent Images and Brief Language

112 minutes

Written and Directed by

• David Mamet

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The Spanish Prisoner Reviews

“The Spanish Prisoner” is the kind of film that makes you glad you went...

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 5, 2023

I realize this is a different kind of movie, one that demands to be plot-driven, not messy or discursive, but Mamet’s true gifts lie elsewhere.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Sep 1, 2022

A neo-noir thriller cut from a fine bolt of Hitchcockian gabardine laced with silken Chekhovian thread, “The Spanish Prisoner” gets its title from a passage presented in the third act that Mamet calls “the oldest con in the book.”

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Jul 3, 2022

Mamet plays with our preconceived notions to keep us off-guard and unaware of the machinations unfolding beneath his façade of already questionable activities.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | May 9, 2019

There are enough twists and grown-up intrigue to keep one asking, "Hey, what's going on here?"

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 9, 2018

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Oct 2, 2009

One exceedingly well-crafted piece of manipulation that keeps the audience strung along with every intricate turn of the plot.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Apr 1, 2009

The result is rather frustrating -- the story works but feels oddly hollow, almost like a con game itself.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 2, 2009

This is probably Mamet's most purely enjoyable film since the gangster comedy Things Change.

Full Review | Feb 2, 2009

David Mamet has a penchant for sleight-of-hand thrillers, and The Spanish Prisoner is his craftiest to date.

Full Review | Nov 20, 2008

The Spanish Prisoner shares with Glengarry Glen Ross a vision of life as a cosmic con game in which the victimizers feed the fantasies of the victims.

Full Review | Apr 27, 2007

David Mamet's most consistently enjoyable film to date is a cool, typically clever con-trick drama packed with deliciously inventive twists that get ever more convoluted and unnerving as the plot proceeds.

Full Review | Feb 9, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Apr 9, 2005

A reminder that even intelligent films can be exercises of style over substance.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | May 3, 2004

A substandard con flick that is surprisingly lightweight for a David Mamet film. In fact, it's so watered down that it feels more like a forgettable T.V. Movie-of-the-week.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 16, 2003

In David Mamet's world nothing is what it seems and nobody talks like a real person. The stylized dialogue is not a flaw--it's part of the entertainment. Mamet keeps you and star Campbell Scott guessing until the final moments.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Aug 11, 2003

A very impressive movie, The Spanish Prisoner entertains mightily.

Full Review | Original Score: B | May 22, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 20, 2003

An intriguing whodunit about murder and computer software, The Spanish Prisoner fails because for the most part, its actors aren't up to the task, and Mamet is unable to educate them properly.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Feb 8, 2003

David Mamet's latest contraption has its satisfying moments, but the film is rarely more than just that: a contraption.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jan 10, 2003

April 3, 1998 'The Spanish Prisoner': From Mamet. A Con Game. Secrets. Very Complicated Related Articles The New York Times on the Web: Current Film Forum Join a Discussion on Movies By JANET MASLIN n airport-security X-ray scans packages at the start of "The Spanish Prisoner," revealing the inner workings behind tame-looking exteriors. If only such a device could read the conniving minds at work in this, David Mamet's craftiest and most satisfying cinematic puzzle. But no: this film's characters remain wonderfully inscrutable, speaking in the clipped vernacular of Mametese even when merrily taunting the audience. "Who in this world," ask several of the film's carefully artificial characters, "is what they seem?" Hardly anybody here, that's for sure. And there's the fun in this elegant, entertaining mystery, which would deserve to be called "House of Games" if Mamet had not already put that title to good use. The film's secret is not that its characters are schemers, but the precise nature of the trickery that is set in motion. (The title refers to a venerable, multistage con game.) And Mamet, the film's writer and director, knows how to keep that information just out of reach until the final frame. Meet Joe Ross (Campbell Scott), inventor and sucker. Joe has at his disposal an immensely valuable scientific formula known only as the Process, which is most important to his boss (Ben Gazzara). Joe is with a sardonic colleague (Ricky Jay) on a business trip to a seductive Caribbean resort when he tries to ask the boss exactly when he, Joe, will begin to profit from his magic formula. But the boss dismisses the question. And just as Joe is wondering when his ship will come in (the screenplay just loves flinging cliches), along comes Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin) on his seaplane, definitely getting Joe's attention. Jimmy is the Master of the Universe type. Joe hasn't known Jimmy long before he's watched him pick out an expensive car, visited Jimmy's club and heard about Jimmy's beautiful, tennis-playing sister. Joe is sufficiently dazzled by this to brush off the advances of Susan Ricci, the secretary played by Rebecca Pidgeon, who is Mamet's wife and definitely has his number. Her performance, aggressively pert and unaccountably off-kilter, beautifully embodies the film's overall sleight-of-hand. Ignoring Susan, though avidly pursued by her, Joe takes a shine to Jimmy's rich, highly-touted sister even before they've met. And he takes his handwritten copy of the Process out of the safe where it belongs. That's all Mamet needs to send "The Spanish Prisoner" spinning into pure chicanery, about which no more ought to be said here, except that this is his sleekest and most engaging film thus far. If you like a good cat-and-mouse game with a keen ear for language, then go. "The Spanish Prisoner" is played by an ensemble cast that never misses a beat of the filmmaker's staccato rhythm. ("Something big," Susan says about a business meeting to which she isn't invited. "Sworn to secrecy. Everybody smoking cigars.") It also has an appealing, ironically rarefied look that the filmmaker measures out carefully, in a story that begins with a seaplane and ends with a ferry. The splendid inspiration of Alfred Hitchcock is much in evidence, with Scott as a latter-day James Stewart coping with the most discreetly extraordinary of circumstances and later reeling from surprise after surprise. He and Martin especially display the debonair sang-froid that the material warrants. The film's careful patina is enhanced by Gabriel Beristain's cinematography, which has the cool but lush look that suits the latter-day Hitchcock spirit. Music by Carter Burwell, whose moodily effective compositions are most familiar from the Coen brothers' films, does a nice job of swirling mysteriously and discreetly jangling nerves. Production notes: THE SPANISH PRISONER Rating: "The Spanish Prisoner" is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It includes mild, deliberate profanity and the tiniest bit of mayhem. CAST: Campbell Scott (Joe Ross), Rebecca Pidgeon (Susan Ricci), Steve Martin (Jimmy Dell), Ben Gazzara (Klein) and Ricky Jay (George Lang). Written and directed by David Mamet; director of photography, Gabriel Beristain; edited by Barbara Tulliver; music by Carter Burwell; production designer, Tim Galvin; produced by Jean Doumanian; released by Sony Pictures Classics. Running time: 112 minutes.

The Spanish Prisoner (1997)

• User Reviews
• why did Susan help him escape the police from the NY airport and drove him to Boston, only to then slip him a gun so he'd be arrested by the police.
• The airplane ticket she had was a return ticket from St. Estephe back to NY... in her name. And he would use that ticket to fly himself from Boston back to St. Estephe. Its an airplane ticket not a refund coupon for Walmart.
• If everything was setup by his boss Mr. Klein why did he bail him out, not press charges and beg him to return the book? Ridiculous!!
• The worst of all... why are con artists still around chasing Joe on the airport and boat scene? They have the book... they've setup everything to accuse Joe... it's over. They need nothing else from him. Just leave and you're home free. But they hang around for some reason and chase him. Even though they want nothing from him. Monumental idiotic!
• the woman shouting at the baby "You got your FINGERPINTS all over the BOOK" two or three times! Yes yes!! We got it!! We got it half an hour ago!!
• Joe painfully asking Susan a few times why she was a criminal. "Why"? Wow... talk naive scenario.

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The Spanish Prisoner

David Mamet has a penchant for sleight-of-hand thrillers, and "The Spanish Prisoner" is his craftiest to date. Centered on a relentless cat's cradle of a business scam, the picture is a devilishly clever series of reversals that keeps you guessing to the very end. On target for specialized crowds, it has excellent crossover prospects, and the marquee cast should smooth the way for upbeat international playoff and strong ancillary action.

By Leonard Klady

Leonard Klady

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David Mamet has a penchant for sleight-of-hand thrillers, and “The Spanish Prisoner” is his craftiest to date. Centered on a relentless cat’s cradle of a business scam, the picture is a devilishly clever series of reversals that keeps you guessing to the very end. On target for specialized crowds, it has excellent crossover prospects, and the marquee cast should smooth the way for upbeat international playoff and strong ancillary action.

Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) arrives at the fictional Caribbean isle of St. Estephe for a secret meeting to unveil a new invention. It’s worth a fortune to his company, and all precautions are being taken to keep its existence under wraps. Joe has been promised personal compensation for the unnamed scientific/technical godsend and told to enjoy a couple of days at the remote resort on the bosses.

Popular on Variety

While taking photos with Susan (Rebecca Pidgeon), a company secretary, Joe is approached by Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin) and offered $1,000 for the camera. Jimmy’s blunt approach offends Joe, who gives him the camera gratis. Later, a contrite Jimmy explains that he’s fearful Joe may inadvertently have caught him on film in the midst of an illicit tryst.

Joe is drawn to the shadowy businessman, awed by his cool confidence and lack of sentimentality. Joe agrees to deliver a package to Jimmy’s sister when he returns to Manhattan, and thinks nothing more of it until Susan plants several disturbing seeds. “How do we know who people are?” she wonders, and cites the man on the beach as an example. It’s enough to get Joe scurrying to the bathroom on the plane to open the bundle he’s been handed, only to uncover a first edition of “(Don) Budge on Tennis” — Jimmy’s sister being a racket pro.

Back in New York, Joe decides to buy a better-preserved edition, and that sets off a chain of actions that kicks into the plot’s many twists. The emotional roller-coaster of the “friendship” that develops between the reserved Joe and mercurial Jimmy is the perfect frame for the Kafkaesque machinations. A cipher a la Joseph K., Joe is the vessel for our disquiet and sense of vulnerability in relation to forces in the universe that trample ambition, privacy and the like. “The Spanish Prisoner,” we’re told by a seeming FBI agent, is the term for a classic confidence scam. Set up the patsy, make him believe an improbable tale and reel him in with the bait.

Joe’s weakness arises when he doesn’t receive the bonus he knows he has earned. Jimmy, after magnanimously giving him a club membership, listens to his woes. Again playing on his ambition, he puffs up his expectations and offers the services of a copyright lawyer. When Joe’s boss, Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara), wants to change his contract, the inventor takes on the situation with Jimmy’s toughness, refusing to sign.

But then he realizes he’s caught in a trap. He seeks out an FBI agent he met in St. Estephe, and they devise a sting operation. But this move only hastens his descent into the quicksand.

The picture embraces many of Mamet’s themes, and echoes the tone of his early film “House of Games.” And while Mamet regular Joe Mantegna never pops up, friend and card wizard Ricky Jay materializes in a major supporting role as a philosopher-clown.

“The Spanish Prisoner” is an elegant construct. Smoothly shot by Gabriel Beristain, edited for maximum tension by Barbara Tulliver and with an unsettling Carter Burwell music score, the film works as a complete piece, never showing more of its hand than necessary.

Scott and Martin are a deliciously effective pairing, the latter providing a tacit menace that belies his warmer screen persona, while the former is a rock, with enough loose debris to telegraph potential danger. The support players, especially Pidgeon, wonderfully provide the sort of mixed messages that bring both the onscreen characters and audience to the brink.

The indie effort is the sort of daunting, satisfying thriller one would like to see several times just to be sure one hasn’t missed any clues or reverses. A beautifully crafted noir, it’s an airtight entertainment sure to sate any audience that wants to be engaged, challenged and surprised.

• Production: A Sweetland Films presentation of a Jean Doumanian production. (International sales: Intermedia.) Produced by Doumanian. Co-producer, Sarah Green. Executive producer, J.E. Beaucaire. Co-executive producer, Letty Aronson. Directed, written by David Mamet.
• Crew: Camera (Technicolor, Panavision widescreen), Gabriel Beristain; editor, Barbara Tulliver; music, Carter Burwell; production design, Tim Galvin; costume design, Susan Lyall; sound (Dolby Digital), John Patrick Pritchett; assistant director, Cas Donovan; casting, Billy Hopkins, Susan Smith, Kerry Barden. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Special Presentation), Sept. 8, 1997. Running time: 112 MIN.
• With: Joe Ross - Campbell Scott Susan Ricci - Rebecca Pidgeon Jimmy Dell - Steve Martin George Lang - Ricky Jay Klein - Ben Gazzara Pat McCune - Felicity Huffman FBI Team Leader - Ed O'Neill

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The Spanish Prisoner

Time out says, release details.

• Duration: 110 mins

Cast and crew

• Director: David Mamet
• Screenwriter: David Mamet
• Ben Gazzara
• Felicity Huffman
• Steve Martin
• Rebecca Pidgeon
• Campbell Scott

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The Spanish Prisoner Review

28 Aug 1998

110 minutes

Spanish Prisoner, The

David Mamet has really stumped us this time. This, his fifth film as writer-director, is his most mainstream work to date, but it also happens to be his cleverest, craftiest and most conniving. In fact, The Spanish Prisoner is so smartarse the only way to fully appreciate this film is to watch it with an open mind. Simply because the more you know about the plot beforehand the less impressed you will be with the outcome.

As you would expect with Mamet, the entire movie is a huge confidence trick. Without spoiling things, company man Joe Ross (Scott) has invented a "Process", a secret formula which could make him an extremely wealthy man. He is eager to sell this "Process" but a chance meeting with jet-setter Jimmy Dell (Martin, expertly cast against type) and the charms of his infatuated secretary Susan (Pidgeon) make him doubt the intentions of his colleagues. Mamet being Mamet, we never actually get to see the "Process" even though the entire movie hangs on its existence. Obviously, somebody gets caught with their pants down but to say who will spoil a movie that comes dangerously close to brilliance.

Everybody is on the make, of course, pulling confidence tricks left, right and centre - but the greatest of all tricks is pulled by Mamet himself. The title, a reference to the world's oldest confidence bluff, is as much aimed at Scott's everyman character as at the gullibility of the audience. And being a complete hoodwink, the movie can only be savoured once. Otherwise loopholes will be found in the sharp script and sly direction. Don't talk to anyone who knows the twist, steer clear of any more reviews. Just sit back and let the movie take you for a ride.

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The spanish prisoner.

Directed by David Mamet

It's the oldest con in the book.

An inventor of a secret process suddenly finds himself alone as both his friends and the corporation he works for turn against him.

Steve Martin Campbell Scott Ben Gazzara Rebecca Pidgeon Ricky Jay Felicity Huffman David Pittu J.J. Johnston Ed O'Neill Clark Gregg Tony Mamet Jack Wallace Jim Frangione Lionel Mark Smith Paul Butler Charlotte Potok Elliot Cuker Scott Zigler Jordan Lage Jonathan Katz Steven Goldstein Isiah Whitlock Jr. Charles Stransky Keiko Seiko Takeo Matsushita

Director Director

David Mamet

Producers Producers

Sarah Green Jean Doumanian

Writer Writer

Casting casting.

Suzanne Smith Crowley Billy Hopkins Kerry Barden

Editor Editor

Barbara Tulliver

Cinematography Cinematography

Gabriel Beristain

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Letty Aronson J.E. Beaucaire

Production Design Production Design

Art direction art direction.

Kathleen Rosen

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Jessica Lanier

Composer Composer

Carter Burwell

Costume Design Costume Design

Susan Lyall

Sweetland Films Jean Doumanian Productions Magnolia Films Jasmine Productions Inc.

Releases by Date

08 sep 1997, 13 sep 1997, 03 dec 1998, theatrical limited, 03 apr 1998, 03 dec 1997, 07 jan 1998, 15 may 1998, releases by country.

• Premiere Toronto International Film Festival
• Premiere Deauville Film Festival
• Theatrical 12
• Premiere Noir in Festival
• Theatrical limited PG

110 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Nik Lackey ★★★★

The silver haired comedy man, Steve Martin takes his turn to the dark side with his performance in ‘The Spanish Prisoner’ (1997), and oh man is it something. This thrilling mystery proves that’s comedic actors can do so much more. Not only that, but the rest of the cast looks into the mystery genre with this film, and there are incredible results. I was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed this film, and I loved how the entire story unwrapped in front of me. This is some strong stuff that isn’t one to miss at all. 

The star of ‘The Spanish Prisoner’ (1997) is Campbell Scott, where he gives a leading man performance with a more quiet and engaging performance.…

Review by David Sims ★★★½ 4

what if there was a spanish prisoner

...or WAS there?????

Review by Joe Fry ★★½ 7

You got your fingerprints all over the book. You dropped the book and now it's torn. No I'm not going to get you a new book to replace this one that you got your fingerprints on. Look at this book it's torn and your fingerprints are all over it. BOOOOOOOK.

Jesus Christ Mamet we get it.

Review by {Todd} ★★★ 2

"You work for a living? That's your dark secret" - Jimmy Dale.

There's no such thing as a free airline ticket.

In The Spanish Prisoner, a man that has developed a financial formula worth billions finds himself embroiled in an intense web of lies, deceit and chaos. If you choose to watch this movie it has to be with undivided attention and preferably all at once because it is a headsy, twisty, crime drama with lots of dense dialogue... it's great.

This reminds me a lot of a Hitchcock style story and for me that is a plus. You never get comfortable with any of the characters and you know the deceit is coming but still kind of fall for…

Review by JBird ★★★½ 4

A Prisoner calls you from Spain, They're rich but being detained! Now stuck in jail, Please send some bail, There's really no time to explain.

Review by Mike D'Angelo ★★★½ 1

The Dissolve review (for a Mamet piece). Hugely enjoyable in the unfolding, but like Heist it's ultimately nothing more than the sum of its smoke and its mirrors. Well, not quite—"Then it'd be back to the range for me!" probably ranks among my ten favorite lines of all time, and #1 for a character's sole line.

Review by Sonny_Jim ★★★ 7

The first two acts were quite good, especially the scenes involving Steve Martin (who is the best thing about this, hands down). Then comes a scene where you will start to question whether Campbell Scott's character might actually be dumber than Navin R. Johnson. (Then shortly thereafter another scene that confirms he is.)

Despite that, it's still fun on the whole and I liked the ending even if it was a little too pat and certainly preposterous.

Review by Tim Daugherty ★★★★ 22

I wonder if there are any 20-something David Mamets out there? Young directors committed to writing as the the primary tool in their cinematic arsenal. One thing that strikes me about movies anymore is generally how good they look. Exceptional low-cost camera gear and editing software makes it damn easy to create a visually competent film. Even in low budget affairs STYLE seems to reign. Slick editing, hip soundtracks….those damned teal and orange filters!

What jumps out about watching The Spanish Prisoner today is how stripped down it is. Other than Mamet’s famous word play shenanigans (“well dog my cats”!) it’s almost entirely devoid of style. A few cool set locations, but otherwise the production budget was probably less than…

Review by Jonathan White ★★★★★ 4

If I had to pick my favourite Mamet directorial effort, it would have to be his twisty as a mountain pass caper, The Spanish Prisoner.

The devious performance Mamet teases out of Steve Martin is masterful, and worth the price of admission alone. If you think that Martin couldn’t play against his wild and crazy type, think again. His delivery and expressions literally make your skin crawl.

Alas, even though it’s been more than a decade since I watched it last, it was still too soon. While I had thought I had forgotten all the bats of the paw in this cat and mouse game, alas, they were crafted so well that at the beginning of each rouse, it all…

Review by Justin Decloux ★★★ 1

I thought this was very clever when I was 20.

Now, having watched 5 David Mamet movies this week, I thought it was a real "More of this, uh?"

Review by gibson8 ★★★★ 1

People hate Rebecca Pidgeon. The consensus seems to be that her line readings are stilted and unnatural and the characters she portrays are unreasonably irritating. The unnatural and irritating aspects of her character acquiesce with the methodology of her partner so whether general audiences like her or not is a moot point. For example, I think State and Maine is the only role in which she is supposed to a pleasant presence although I feel she still has that slightly chilly and affected air.

The consensus online seems to be that the book was switched by the rollerblader in the tunnel and reddit has tied itself in knots trying to spot the tricks. This is. of course, a misinterpretation of…

Review by 🇵🇱 Steve G 🇵🇸 ★★★½ 6

The 80s and 90s Neo-Noir Project

I was going to do this review in Mamet Speak but I think it would be a bigger flop than my review of The Neon Demon so I'm just going to do the usual rambling crap.

Even back when this was doing the rounds on satellite TV back in the late 90s, I already had enough awareness of David Mamet's work that it seemed really strange to me that he had written a PG film. His work is renowned almost as much for its dexterity with profanity as it is for staccato stylings, so I have often wondered how that works within the confines of this film.

And he almost gets through the whole…

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The Spanish Prisoner

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

David Mamet, poet of angst and anger on stage and screen, deletes most of his infamous expletives to fashion what he calls a light, romantic thriller. Ha! The Spanish Prisoner (the title refers to one of the oldest con games) is more like Hitchcock filtered through Kafka. This diabolical blend of suspense and wit brims with dark surprises, not the least of which is a superb dramatic performance by Steve Martin as a figure of malevolent mystery.

But I’m rushing ahead. Campbell Scott, in fine, piercing form, stars as Joe Ross, an inventor whose boss, Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara), has jetted him to a Caribbean resort to talk up his latest invention. Joe and his collaborator, George (magician Ricky Jay), refer to their potentially lucrative work as the “process.” Despite being wooed by the company and propositioned by his bedroomeyed secretary, Susan (Rebecca Pidgeon, the real-life Mrs. Mamet), Joe worries that he’s being conned.

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Enter Martin as Jimmy Dell, a wealthy businessman whom Joe meets on the beach. Jimmy convinces Joe that his fears are not unfounded. In New York, Jimmy gives Joe a taste of his elegant lifestyle, including intros to his beautiful sister and to lawyers who know how to shaft corporations. Then murder enters the equation. Whom does Joe turn to? Jimmy offers help. Ditto Mr. Klein and FBI agent Pat McCune (Felicity Huffman). Susan says she’ll bolster Joe in court and in bed.

Mamet uses the thriller genre to plumb matters of trust, a subject that informs his best plays, such as American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross , and his four previous films as a director ( House of Games, Things Change, Homicide , Oleanna ). In The Spanish Prisoner, he weaves through shifting shadows — artfully arranged by gifted cinematographer Gabriel Beristain — to uncover a glimmer of moral light. That’s the Mamet process, and it’s spellbinding.

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They May Have Been Gone, But They’re Still Classic

By isa barnett.

• Apr 3, 1998

The Spanish Prisoner (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)

THE SPANISH PRISONER (1998)

Starring Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, Ben Gazzara, Felicity Huffman, Richard L. Freidman, Jerrold Graff, G. Roy Levin, Hilary Hinkle, Gary McDonald and Ed O'Neill.

Screenplay by David Mamet.

Directed by David Mamet.

Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. 110 minutes. Rated PG.

The Spanish Prisoner is an intricate puzzle box of a movie. Full of crosses and double-crosses, the film teases the audience into looking the wrong way while it goes for another sleight of hand. This was written and directed by America’s playwright laureate, David Mamet, who swam in similar waters with his brilliant House of Games .

Steve Martin is amazing playing against type as a slick and slightly dangerous confidence man who targets corporate drone Campbell Scott. A repertory company of Mamet’s talented friends – Ricky Jay, Felicity Huffman and Mamet's wife Rebecca Pidgeon included – give supporting roles verve and life.

The plot is brilliantly constructed and complex without being convoluted. The only problem with this film is that this one of the rare times in his distinguished career when Mamet’s deservedly acclaimed ear for dialogue falters a little – too much of what is said sounds scripted, not spoken. But otherwise, The Spanish Prisoner is a fascinating, absorbing film.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©1998 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: April 3, 1998.

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The Spanish Prisoner Reviews

• 71   Metascore
• 1 hr 52 mins
• Drama, Suspense
• Watchlist Where to Watch

Campbell Scott stars in this intriguing thriller as a talented researcher who has made a lucrative discovery. He travels to the Caribbean to seek his share of the profits, but becomes ensnared in an intricate con game where no one's who they seem to be. Written and directed by David Mamet. Rebecca Pidgeon, Steve Martin, Ben Gazzara, Ricky Jay, Felicity Huffman, Ed O'Neill, Lionel Mark Smith, Jim Frangone.

Call it "Office of Games": David Mamet's new film returns to the same thematic soil he tilled in his first, the art of the con and the seductive lure of perfectly executed deception. Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) is a cog in the corporate machine, inventor of "The Process," which may make his company millions. Big boss Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara) flies Ross to the Caribbean to tantalize deep-pocket investors with the potential of The Process, but Ross quickly begins to feel as though he's being cut out of the loop where it counts: the point at which the money will start rolling in. A disgruntled dupe looking for a hook to take, Ross is just waiting for the con man who'll reel him in, flopping and gasping. Is that con man Jimmy Bell (Steve Martin), or is Bell the wealthy entrepreneur he appears to be, a man of the world who might be able to help Ross negotiate the shark-filled corporate waters in which he finds himself? And what about Susan (Rebecca Pidgeon), the bright-eyed secretary with a sticky little crush on Ross -- is she the guileless waif she appears, or is there more to her as well? It's funny how conventional Mamet's screenplay is: Cast differently and produced with the casually lavish gloss of, say, THE GAME, this intricate psychological thriller could be throwaway, adrenaline-driven Hollywood fare. But Mamet's intentions are different; he wants to make you think, but doesn't appear to care whether or not you feel. The result is rather frustrating — the story works but feels oddly hollow, almost like a con game itself.

Spanish Prisoner, The (United States, 1997)

What would it be like if celebrated playwright and screenwriter David Mamet collaborated with Franz Kafka? While we'll never know for sure, The Spanish Prisoner gives a good indication. This film, the fifth to be authored and directed by Mamet (whose recent script contributions include The Edge and Wag the Dog ), is both a sendup of the Hitchcock-type thriller and a legitimate entry into the genre. It's Mamet's most convoluted plot since House of Games , but, while the overall structure and style are of noir twistiness, the underlying message is something almost any viewer can relate to: how corporate greed destroys trust and corrupts honest men.

Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) has just invented "The Process", a revolutionary procedure that is going to give his company control of the market (to use Hitchcock terms, this is the movie's McGuffin). But, while Joe thinks his work is worth a sizable bonus, the corporation's president, Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara), refuses to commit to a specific figure, assuring Joe only that his effort is appreciated. While on a business trip to the Caribbean, Joe runs into Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin), a mysterious, rich stranger who offers Joe a few tips about life and business. Days later, in New York, Joe meets Jimmy again, and this begins his spiral into a strange world of deception, where nothing is what it first seems to be. Soon, like so many heroes in films like this, he finds himself in an untenable position, wrongly accused with a pile of irrefutable evidence staring him in the face. The only one he can trust is his secretary, Susan (Rebecca Pidgeon, Mamet's wife), who wants more than just a working relationship with him.

Mamet's script supplies us with a seemingly-endless series of twists and turns, only a fraction of which are predictable. At times, the audience is a step ahead of the screenplay, but, most of the time, we're playing catch-up. Although there are plenty of holes that Mamet has no interest is sewing up (trying to solve every riddle in The Spanish Prisoner is an exercise in futility), this is a smart film that develops a central character we can sympathize with – a modern version of Josef K. from Kafka's The Trial . The plot is delightfully preposterous, but holds together a lot better than the generic likes of Palmetto and Wild Things . The difference is simple: those two films are for viewers who prefer to turn their brains off while The Spanish Prisoner is for anyone who likes to think and feel along with the characters. Mamet offers us the same clues he gives to Joe; we can piece the truth together along with him.

The most curious thing about The Spanish Prisoner is the ending (which I will not reveal in this review). At first glance, it appears to be a common wrap-up that ties together several critical loose ends. There's a deus ex machina aspect to it which may indicate that Mamet is toying with the audience by sending up the manner in which this kind of movie must end to satisfy an audience. But are things as straightforward as they seem? Is this, in fact, the end, or is it just the latest twist in an incredibly complex con game?

The dialogue is, of course, pure Mamet. The writer/director's characteristic style infuses every exchange with its peculiar, staccato rhythm. There are those who find Mamet's approach to be off-putting, but, for movie-goers who allow its strange allure to captivate them (which usually takes a few minutes), it becomes apparent how crucial it is to the film's overall tone. One other thing worth noting – Mamet scripts are typically known for being extremely profane (see Glengarry Glenn Ross or American Buffalo for examples), but there isn't a single curse word in the whole of The Spanish Prisoner . Mamet has achieved something extraordinary – a PG rating.

One of the reasons the film is so strong is that nearly every major performance is impeccable. Campbell Scott is entirely sympathetic as the befuddled, naïve victim. Joe is, by his own admission, a boy scout whose chief trait is courtesy and who is ill-suited to emerge unscathed from the labyrinthine trap laid for him. Rebecca Pidgeon is captivating as Joe's outspoken, would-be seductress. Despite Susan's assertion that she has "a secretary mentality," it's clear that nothing could be further from the truth, and Joe's statement that he's "not looking for an office romance" doesn't dissuade her. Steve Martin plays Jimmy Dell with the right mix of charm and menace. He's clearly a dangerous figure – but for whom: Joe or Joe's enemies? Effective support is provided by Ben Gazzara and Ricky Jay (as Joe's lawyer friend).

Although most viewers of The Spanish Prisoner will be personally unfamiliar with the kind of sinister plot that Joe stumbles into, the concepts of corporate greed and backstabbing will hit closer to home. The subtext of this film is the same as the one in many other Mamet offerings – how the current business climate rewards those who act ruthlessly and punishes those who hold to a code of ethics. With a plot that would make Hitchcock proud, The Spanish Prisoner uses this outrageously elaborate, always-entertaining approach to illustrate these more serious concerns about what it takes to survive the '90s.

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The Spanish Prisoner

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An inventor of a secret process suddenly finds himself alone as both his friends and the corporation he works for turn against him.

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The 10 Best Spanish-Language Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked According to IMDb

Celebrating the brilliance of Spanish cinema.

The Spanish-speaking world has made a number of classics both old and modern, outstanding films that have stood the test of time as some of the finest movies of all time. This hasn't stopped in the 21st century, when countries like Mexico and Spain have continued to prove why their body of work has more than enough material to rival Hollywood.

On IMDb, users have been raving about some of these modern masterpieces for years, praising their ability to transcend the language barrier in delivering riveting stories populated by memorable characters and thought-provoking themes. From Pan's Labyrinth to Wild Tales , the 21st century has seen plenty of outstanding movies in Spanish.

10 'Roma' (2018)

IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

Roma is far and away the most intimate film of Alfonso Cuarón 's fruitful career. It's a drama drawing heavy inspiration from the director's own childhood and upbringing in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, and it's quite surprising that such a personal story struck a chord with so many audience members across the world.

The way Cuarón was able to capture the look, sound, and feel of '70s Mexico City is nothing short of admirable, and the narrative is more than gripping enough to make that atmosphere all the more valuable. It's definitely a slow-burner, but with a little patience, all movie fans will inevitably fall in love with this touching story about family, class, and culture.

9 'Y Tu Mamá También' (2001)

The title of Y Tu Mamá También , Cuarón's second film made in Mexico, translates to "and your mom, too." It's a fittingly unique and catchy title to an absolutely unforgettable drama about love and friendship, one of the most endearing queer stories in all of Mexican cinema, and one of the best road trip movies of all time .

The immaculate performances by leads Maribel Verdú , Gael García Bernal , and Diego Luna really help carry the story to the finish line, in an incredibly gut-wrenching ending of incredible emotional power. Sensual, funny, and entertaining from beginning to end, it's a movie whose naturalism and genuineness make it as poignant as it is fun.

8 'Nine Queens' (2000)

IMDb Rating: 7.9/10

Nine Queens is an incredible Argentinian crime drama about two con men trying to sell counterfeit stamps to a wealthy collector. Executed with unparalleled style and flair, the story of the film is as entertaining and satisfyingly twist-filled as any other caper movie you can find.

The style of the movie is really the main draw, imbued with a slick dynamism that makes all the twists and surprises all the more thrilling and satisfying. The story is engaging, the dialogue is sharp, the characters are intriguing, and Ricardo Darín is clearly having a blast proving why he's one of the country's most acclaimed actors.

7 'Talk to Her' (2002)

If you're at all familiar with Spanish cinema, you're bound to be familiar with Pedro Almodóvar . And if you're at all familiar with Almodóvar, surely you've heard of Talk to Her . One of the director's greatest modern works, the film is a devastating character study showcasing all of the auteur's greatest strengths as a filmmaker.

The director has a unique way of making his stories look and feel simple while packing incredible complexity under the surface, and Talk to Her is one of the best examples of this ability. With its nuanced characters and fascinatingly experimental concept, it tells a story far more emotional than the presentation would have you expect.

6 'The Sea Inside' (2004)

IMDb Rating: 8.0/10

Javier Bardem is one of Spain's most popular and celebrated actors, and for good reason. All it takes to understand why he's such an inimitable talent is watching The Sea Inside , a biopic where he plays Ramón Sampedro , who fought a decades-long campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity.

Sure, Bardem is amazing in the lead role, but his performance isn't the only thing that makes this Spanish drama so highly acclaimed by IMDb users. It's skillfully directed and sensitively written, while also being a great tear-jerking movie for those looking for a good cry.

5 'The Invisible Guest' (2016)

Oriol Paulo has been cementing himself as one of the most interesting new voices in the thriller genre in Spain, and The Invisible Guest is probably his best work. Tightly written and with more surprises than you could ever hope to see coming, it's the textbook definition of a great mystery thriller.

Alfred Hitchcock fans are guaranteed to have a blast with The Invisible Guest , which clearly draws inspiration from the master of suspense on more than one occasion. Some of its twists are more predictable than others, and a few are even a bit outlandish, but that's hardly an issue when the story and characters are so compelling.

4 'Wild Tales' (2014)

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

As rare as they may be nowadays, there are numerous fantastic anthology films that prove this concept is far more than just a gimmick. Argentinian cinema experimented with that concept in 2014 with Wild Tales , one of the country's most popular and widely acclaimed films.

All of Wild Tales ' separate stories deal with the overarching theme of revenge, and they do so through a variety of tones, genres, and styles. Each of the vignettes is as irresistibly energetic, charming, and fun as the last, keeping a sense of momentum that not many other films of its kind manage to attain.

3 'Amores Perros' (2000)

The feature directing debut of Alejandro G. Iñárritu is still considered one of the greatest Mexican films ever made, and it isn't hard to see why. Through its sprawling narrative, it shows three stories that intersect in an explosive central set piece, and all have something in common: Themes of loyalty and human nature represented through the symbol of dogs.

Amores Perros isn't an easy movie to watch. It's violent, impressively dark, and pretty much devoid of any sense of hope or any feeling that resembles it. That's precisely what makes it so unforgettable, though. By the time the credits roll, you'll still be thinking about the engrossing story and all of its equally fascinating characters.

2 'The Secret In Their Eyes' (2009)

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Winner of a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar , The Secret In Their Eyes is probably the best Argentinian film of all time, and IMDb users evidently agree. With a mesmerizing atmosphere and rich symbolism, it carefully constructs a riveting narrative about violence, love, and human passion.

Is it the marvelous performances? The richly intricate script full of surprises that'll please any mystery thriller fan? The pristine visuals that make the atmosphere of the film utterly enveloping? Whatever it is, none can deny that The Secret In Their Eyes is an amazing movie more than worthy of its fame.

1 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006)

There are movies that transcend the language barrier, and then there are movies like Pan's Labyrinth , which transcend the screen altogether. Dark fantasy is never in better hands than in those of Guillermo del Toro , and this Mexican-Spanish coproduction is typically accepted to be the director's best work.

Pan's Labyrinth is grim, graphic, and vocal in its critique of fascism and violence; however, it also finds plenty of spaces to be a sweet and understated coming-of-age fantasy story, where audiences get to see the world through the innocent eyes of the protagonist. It's an incredible masterpiece, and it's no wonder why cinephiles on IMDb love it so much.

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