Review of The Spanish Prisoner (1997) by Yaeli T — 03 Jan 2009
And how did this one slip by? This is the essential con film, a perfection of the art. This is the kind of film where a twist smacks you upside the head, and then you immediately kick yourself for not seeing it coming miles away.
The script, the best of its kind I've come across since the original 'Sleuth,' is as jaunty and funny as anything Mamet's done, and always cheekily giving itself away, daring you to guess where it's going, but always leaving the audience one step behind.
The perspective means the film doesn't have to explain every last detail, so many questions of plausibility can be ignored, but it's a hell of a lot more plausible than it had to be. I think Mamet was born several decades too late, in the 40's or 50's when films utterly relied on dialogue to hold them together he'd have been a celebrated star writer, a true household name rather than a mere cult favorite.
Don't pass this one up.
This review of The Spanish Prisoner (1997) was written by Yaeli T on 03 Jan 2009.
The Spanish Prisoner has generally received positive reviews.
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