Viewed in
2012
Formats
HDTV
Premise
An inventor finds himself caught in an elaborate scam by a mysterious man, Steve Martin.
Liked
Dialog, Steve Martin.
Disliked
"Oh, come on!"-inducing third act.
Thoughts
It was interesting.
This was the first David Mamet film that I'd seen in a long time, so it was fun to hear his unique dialog. I wouldn't say it was Shakespearean, but it had a play-like vibe that was as engrossing to listen to as it was to watch. As a mystery genre, the cool dialog worked giving the movie some flair.
The first two acts were really strong, and I was very much invested in the plot. All the subterfuge and deceptions were easy to follow and enjoy, as I got caught up in web of intrigue dangerously, steadily engulfed our hero.
There were some cool casting here. I very much enjoyed Martin in a "bad guy" role, which he pulled off with ease. Other interesting casting was Ed O'Neill and Felicity Huffman as FBI agents, a young Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Avengers fan-favorite Clark Gregg. Another familiar face, so to speak, was composer Carter Burwell, just about to bust out with Being John Malkovich.
However, not the entire cast worked. Scott Campbell was stiff and not easy to root for as metaphorical feces hit the fan. It didn't help that his character did dumb stuff to serve the plot. I found it hard to believe that someone smart enough to engineer a million-dollar business plan would carelessly leave his blood-soaked glasses at the crime scene. Rebecca Pidgeon as the love interest was also not charming, and in fact totally wrong for the role.
The last act was a mess, relying on implausible reveals, twists, coincidences and people being in the perfect place at the perfect time. Obviously intriguing movies can't go chalk for an ending, so I do appreciate the effort, but the execution left me eye-rolling the rest of the way.
Not sure if I liked the destination, but I really enjoyed the journey of The Spanish Prisoner.
