Review of Criminal (2004) by Andy F — 28 Apr 2005

I have never seen the Argentine film [i]Nine Queens[/i] which this is based on, and that's probably a good thing because something tells me I would dislike this remake even more. The opening setup is very interesting as we are introduced to the two main characters. One is a novice thief played by rising young actor Diego Luna ([i]Y Tu Mama Tambien, Open Range[/i]) in a great performance, and the other is an arrogant hot shot con man played by the always great John C. Reilly in his first real headlining role. Their relationship in this film is what makes this movie mildly watchable up until the over-the-top and idiotic conclusion that just made me gasp in rage after seeing a good setup the first 70 minutes.

Yes, the final 15 to 20 minutes of this 87 minute film blows any chance of the film receiving a solid 7 or maybe even a mild 8. Anyway, I'll talk about what was good about [i]Criminal[/i] and what halted it at a 6, stopping it from going lower. John C. Reilly is doing everything he can to entertain here, and for the most part he can make the audience forget about the so-so plot and focus on his energetic take on this lively and devious character. Diego Luna as I said before gives a brilliant performance as the student of Reilly's throughout one day that features a series of small cons and slowly begins to unveil a huge heist in the making. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Reilly's sister who wants no part of him as she has been the victim of his schemes for many years. This is a role that she handles well of course, but it's not an interesting character at all, and putting a great actress like this in the part doesn't work in my opinion. Still, these three work very well together and make it a fun ride for aobut 3/4 of the movie, but then it all comes tumbling down. There have been enough con movies by now that the audience is almost always expecting not just one simple con, but con conning con. It's a tired routine and in this film it's extremely laughable and by movie's end I was disappointed to huge heights.

Another thing I was torn between liking and disliking was the direction from Gregpry Jacobs. The handheld style was effective and is a good choice for a sly and fast paced film like [i]Criminal[/i], but there were many other choices made that just didn't work. One of these choices that stood out more than all others was the choice of music during some scenes that would've been so much more interesting without any at all, and a lot of times the music seemed like it was modeled after a Steven Soderbergh film. It's just a sad thing when a movie like this doesn't work, but the actors make it mildly enetertaining.