...necessarily intricate, only occasionally convoluted, perhaps slightly detached, but mostly absorbing. It is that rare breed of film, the intelligent thriller.
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If you are familiar with "House of Games," David Mamet´s cunning little film of deceit and double dealing, you will be on common ground with the same writer-director´s "The Spanish Prisoner." More important, if you enjoyed "House of Games" or enjoy films like it, you are apt to love "The Spanish Prisoner." It is necessarily intricate, only occasionally convoluted, perhaps slightly detached, but mostly absorbing. It is that rare breed of film, the intelligent thriller.
Because the story relies heavily on the element of surprise, I can´t tell you a whole lot about the plot. Except that it doesn´t take place in Spain and it doesn´t involve prisoners. It´s about a scientist who has invented a mysterious and exceptionally valuable formula and who is trying to obtain the best possible compensation for his years of hard work. The scientist, played by Campbell Scott, is not entirely pleased with the offer his company is making him for it, and he comes to distrust the offer and his boss, played by Ben Gazzara, even further after meeting and talking with a wealthy financier--Steve Martin in a rare serious role.
Then the plot thickens, and before we know it, thickens further. From a banal beginning, the story opens up with each passing scene into a maze of schemes and collusion. When it finally turns on the suspense, it´s hard not to be drawn in.
This is not to suggest the story is faultless. While it will certainly keep you guessing, the whole thing is too obviously pat for its own good, too exacting in every particular to be entirely convincing. And the flat, clipped cadences of the actors´ speech patterns may be off-putting to some viewers. The dialogue is spoken in oddly detached monotones reminiscent of the old "Dragnet" TV series. It is a curious device hinting at documentary style, but it is of interest only to a point, beyond which it becomes an annoying mannerism.
In any event, the movie builds momentum nicely, strains credibility only in part, and comes to a climax that´s out of left field but still satisfactory. It´s worth watching several times if only to appreciate the complexity of its plot developments. OK, I admit my wife had it figured out long before I did, but she´s smarter than I am.
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[release]1147[/release]