Review: The Spanish Prisoner (1998)

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The Spanish Prisoner

Rating

Director

David Mamet

Screenplay

David Mamet

Length

1h 50m

Starring

Campbell Scott, Ricky Jay, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara, Steve Martin, Felicity Huffman

MPAA Rating

Basic Plot

An attractive, courteous young man has developed a process that will net his company exuberant amounts of money. The only problem is, no one wants it stolen.

Review

“The Spanish Prisoner” begins with a trip to the Ste. Estéphe in the Caribbean. Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) has been flown there by his boss Klein (Ben Gazzara) with a company lawyer, George Lang (Ricky Jay) and a secretary sent by the company, Susan Ricci (Rebecca Pidgeon).

While there he meets a charming man we later come to know as Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin). The chemistry between Ross and Dell, not to mention their innuendo-laden dialogue, is so heavy that we would almost assume they’d become lovers of some sort by the end, but appearances can be deceiving.

Dell asks Ross to carry a package back to the United States for him. After purchasing Ricci a ticket for first class with money Lang has acquired while gambling, she tells Ross to beware of appearances. She mentions that sometimes someone can give you a package and ask you to deliver it only to find out they are smuggling drugs and you are their carrier. Ross rushes into the bathroom moments before landing to investigate the package only to find a book on Tennis inside and a note affirming Dell’s intentions.

From there the plot winds around the characters and leaves you constantly with unanswered questions and misguided notions. This is the genius of the script. David Mamet, the writer and director, creates such a pleasing atmosphere and intriguing plot that you jump from one sequence to another hoping that what you’ve seen isn’t the end, but only the beginning.

By its twisted conclusion, very little stands out poorly about the movie, you sit there and grin with the eyes of a child captivated by a childhood idol.

Of the performances, Martin and Scott are the most astounding, they are so eerily complex that you can’t help but keep your eyes glued to them. Pidgeon is a bit of a talker and loses some of her charm, but gains it back in the surprising conclusion.

The film wouldn’t be complete without a brilliant score from composer Carter Burwell. His melodies are catchy and mysterious. He stands a good chance at taking an Oscar nomination in March.

“The Spanish Prisoner” is the kind of film that makes you glad you went and helps you realize how pathetic some of the more recent “event” motion pictures are when they can’t develop an intelligent script and rely on large explosions to support the tired, formulaic plots.