La trama

Mamet work that is a lot closer to House of Games than to Glengarry Glen Ross (which used up all the swear words; there's none here). If you're okay with Mamet's way with dialogue and line reading, then the only real complaint is the terrible ending.

Well, if they learned one thing from making this film, I hope it's that Mamet should never sit in a director's chair again. I'm not prejudiced against Mamet. I like some of his films, particularly Glengarry Glen Ross, which is actually one of my favorites. But The Spanish Prisoner plays and sounds like a high school production. Literally.

I cannot for the life of me understand how this film can be called intelligent. Yes, it does not rely on violence, sex, swearing, drugs, alcohol, traffic violations, or even jaywalking to at least make it interesting. So call it a moral film, whatever that means. Oh, yes, it has a "plot." I assume that is why it's called intelligent.

I sat through this "plot" not knowing a thing about the film and I could see and hear the twists coming like I was tied to a post watching a host of bison pounding impending death into my ears. Plus it had more holes in it than a room full of acupuncture patients.

To begin, the editing was AWFUL, particularly the initial 30 minutes. Typically, when two characters walk into a room, it really does look like they were engrossed in conversation before walking in front of the camera. But in TSP, it looks like Mamet had just given the go ahead to roll tape. It played like it was made up of strips of paper cut up with scissors and then glued together. There might as well have been a speedbump noise every time there was a scene change.

And the dialogue?! What is even more discouraging than the abysmal quality of most films coming out now is when we're sold a piece of goods and people are convinced that it's intelligent. At least with the first problem, we're merely disgruntled. With the second, we're delusional. I find that depressing. So this film depressed me for that reason.

How contrived TSP is is metaphorically represented by the prime element of its plot structure: "The System." OK? I don't mind vague points. But this is just lazy. Why couldn't he just have made it top-secret information which could be used for insider trading? Or information about a revolutionary new product? The plot of Episode I: The Phantom Menace? Mamet may be acclaimed as a "genius," but he has to do more than throw out a script with a twist to have me sacrificing my first-born to his word processor.

I will grant you that art is not life. That said, it should not be more artificial than artifice requires. If Mamet hopes to continue holding an audience made up of more than sophomoric dilettantes, he should take some advice from another author. The "overdone or come tardy off," though it might impress some, "cannot but make the judicious grieve." Reform it altogether, David.

I finally got to see this film again. I love this film. But I realized after another viewing with a savvy partner that there are just too many holes in the plot and Mamet isn't quite as clever as we first think or would like to believe. Too many plot twists just don't make sense on second viewing. I'd always recommend this movie.. it's fascinating and has great performances but I think the audience is easily tricked into finding it brilliant. Maybe someone can explain why Martin's character is so easily found in the car showroom. Did I miss something there? And what if Campbell Scott's person had actually tried to deliver the tennis book directly to Martin's sister. That would have been the end of the story, period.

Steve Martin in a serious role in a Mamet film is reason enough to see "The Spanish Prisoner", which I believe gets its name from a type of sucker scam of the same name. And that's what this film is about. A young professional invents "the process" which is very valuable to his company but he is worried he will not get compensated well enough. This seed of doubt, which others around him recognize, sets into motion a whole series of secrets and deceptions. The dialog is snappy as in all Mamet writing, and you either really like the style a lot, or you don't. I really like it. The various twists get a bit hard to follow, and it is the kind of movie you have to see at least twice for full benefit. It is not a great film, but a worthy one.

Beside Steve martin in his serious role, which he pulls off very well, the film also has Ben Gazzara and Mamet's wife, Rebecca Pidgeon who is very good in one of the key roles in this film.

It's hard to say that 'The Spanish Prisoner' is the best film of the year, because it quite obviously isn't. It's more like a filmed play in that many of it's locations, especially those in the Carribean, look positively fake. What can be said, is that the film is the year's most complex and interesting film, and one of the best.

The script by acclaimed playwright David Mamet (Who also wrote 1997's The Edge) is stunning, excellent with a perfect, credible plot. It's a wonder how anyone could even come up with such a great story.

The acting is also very good. Campbell Scott, who we have never and likely never will see much of is well cast and delivers the flick's best performance. A-List star Steve Martin skips the big bucks for a good script, and it's a wonder he ended up with this project in the first place, an unlikely but excellent career move. The rest of the cast is unremarkable when put up against Scott and Martin, but still good on their own right.

If you have a liking for complicated, though-provoking puzzle-like films 'The Spanish Prisoner' is highly, highly recommended, as is the similar, more accessible 'The Game'. Very intriguing and absorbing 'The Spanish Prisoner' is a must see.