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Campbell Scott, Rebecca Pidgeon, Steve Martin, Ricky Jay, Ben Gazzara ... see more see more... , Felicity Huffman , Ed O'Neill , Sandy Martin , Lionel Mark Smith

Writer-director David Mamet crafted this unusual, Hitchcockian thriller in which no one is who they appear to be. Campbell Scott is Joe Ross, who has just created a "process" that stands to make his c... read more read more...ompany and his boss, Klein (Ben Gazzara), millions of dollars. At a clandestine meeting in the Caribbean, Ross discusses the details of the process with company executives. There, purely by chance, or so he believes, he meets the wealthy, enigmatic Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin), and the two strike up an unusual friendship. Dell informs Ross that he's naïve to believe that his company will fairly compensate him for his valuable work. Upon returning home, Ross becomes paranoid that Dell is right, and he takes steps to protect his invention, becoming unsure if he can trust Klein or even his own love-struck assistant (Rebecca Pidgeon). When Ross discovers that Dell has lied to him about his identity, he contacts the FBI -- he then finds himself set up as a murder suspect who learns, almost too late, to trust no one. The title of the film refers not to any of the characters but to a classic con artist's scam. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Flixster Users

79% liked it

7,211 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

59 critics

PG, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: David Mamet

Release Date: September 8, 1997

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DVD Release Date: October 6, 1998

Stats: 468 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (468)

  • jjnxn
    March 31, 2010
    jjnxn
    Good twisty drama.
  • kenstachnik
    July 21, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Mamet takes a page from the Hitchcock hand book.
  • pier007
    May 25, 2009
    pier007
    Mamet plays to be Hitchcock like he did in his first feature. The results are pretty good, a fine and engaging thriller that unravels its clues patiently and keeps you guessing what is going to happen next.
  • aliceinpunderland
    January 31, 2009
    aliceinpunderland
    Exciting in parts, but completely filled with McGuffins. How does Joe not notice the book was switched? Why does he touch the murder weapon? Why does Susan pin that shamrock on him? It's all just to further the plot with canned suspense as it hurtles toward a deus ex machi... read morena ending.
  • bbcfloridabound
    October 13, 2008
    bbcfloridabound
    Don't know how this one ever got by me. Don't let title throw you. Steve martin Played a great part. Its worth seeing and adding to your collection.
  • fb20312798
    April 27, 2008
    fb20312798
    Anyone who didn't see the con coming midway through the movie is probably braindead. The Spanish Prisoner is one of the more interesting films about how an innocent man gets tricked by a bunch of really smart people with way too much damn time on their hands. What I liked was the... read more slow exectution of the material. It would be easy for any director to make it really flashy, but this film walks at a slow pace from scene to scene. I was a big fan of Steve Martin in this, I like when actors step out of what is normally expected of them and Martin does it very well here. Not a perfect film, but and interesting piece of work from David Mamet without any four leader words, which is unusual for him.
  • DrStrangeblog
    January 4, 2010
    DrStrangeblog
    The more I think about events in 'The Spanish Prisoner,' the less I like it so I'd better write this review while it's still at 2 stars. I simply don't buy these elaborate con schemes that involves everyone with a speaking role. 'Criminal' is another example. The fact that thi... read mores swindle relies completely on a mathematician stumbling across the business card of someone he met briefly on vacation while thumbing through a friend's scrapbook redefines implausible. And that's just one of the many machinations required for this scheme to work! David Mamet's script is typically wry and stilted, but Mametspeak requires a certain delivery to pull off and as such David is not a very good director of his own material. Rebecca Pidgeon in particular comes off very badly as a line reader. Try 'American Buffalo' instead for a much better example of a Mamet con story onscreen.
  • threefolddado
    September 15, 2008
    threefolddado
    Mamet?s intelligent script keeps you guessing until the end.
  • antonygeee
    September 14, 2008
    antonygeee
    This was my second outing with David Mamet. This man could teach a PHD in the economical usage of the English Language. I can't say enough about Steve Martin. This man is a great addition to the pantheon of American actors. Rebecca Pidgeon, Mamet's wife is also an accomplished an... read mored published singer; don't miss her albums. The movie is fantastic. It takes an innocent along on a roller-coaster ride of terror. Hitch did this in many films. David Mamet does this with an economy of words, but through great direction, editing and pace keeps one believing until one realizes that the pocket has been picked. The stooge is as surprised as the rest of us at the end. I still can't say enough about David Mamet and Rebecca Pidgeon. MORE!!!
  • gms1yygy
    November 27, 2007
    gms1yygy
    Not a "who done it". This is a "who's doing it" movie. The "details" on Flixter says it is "mystery, suspense and drama". I say "indeed it is!" Campbell Scott does an excellent job as the young technocrat; Steve Martin is serious all the way through it - wonder it didn't kill him!

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Critic Reviews

Leonard Klady
November 20, 2008
Leonard Klady, Variety

David Mamet has a penchant for sleight-of-hand thrillers, and The Spanish Prisoner is his craftiest to date. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 27, 2007
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

The Spanish Prisoner shares with Glengarry Glen Ross a vision of life as a cosmic con game in which the victimizers feed the fantasies of the victims. Full Review

Liam Lacey
April 12, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

There's something fresh, even restorative, in watching an American studio movie that doesn't treat the movie-going audience like a bunch of gullible marks. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Mamet brings more than a decade's worth of filmmaking experience to his latest project, and his skill as a director has improved considerably. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
January 1, 2000
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

Mamet's dialogue is as deft as ever, and he draws a fine, complex performance from Scott, an actor whose talents are underused and underappreciated. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It rolls its sleeves above its elbows to show it has no hidden cards, and then produces them out of thin air. Full Review

Charles Taylor
January 1, 2000
Charles Taylor, Salon.com

The picture is moderately diverting. But it's never much fun. Full Review

Janet Maslin
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times

It...has an appealing, ironically rarefied look that the filmmaker measures out carefully, in a story that begins with a seaplane and ends with a ferry. Full Review

David Denby
January 1, 2000
David Denby, New York Magazine

Mamet keeps the settings simple, breeding mistrust out of the flat walls and corporate colors. He concentrates on dialogue and character, and this movie is warmer, and much closer to psychological rea... Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The Spanish Prisoner is for anyone who likes to think and feel along with the characters. Mamet offers us the same clues he gives to Joe; we can piece the truth together along with him. Full Review

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The Spanish Prisoner Trivia

  • Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron is internationally known for ¨the blockbuster movie ¨Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban¨ and ¨Children of Men¨. But which 2001 Spanish language film is his most critically acclaimed film? Hint: Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal starred on it.   Answer »
  • Who stars in the Mamet film "Spanish Prisoner"?  Answer »
  • In which Steve Martin movie would you hear him say the following? Always do business as if the person you're doing business with is trying to screw you, because he probably is. And if he's not, you can be pleasantly surprised.   Answer »
  • Which very thrilling David Mamet's film casts Steve Martin in a serious role that involves murder and betrayal?   Answer »
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