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Criminal

2004, Movie, R, 87 mins

Criminal: Review

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First-time director Gregory Jacobs' English-language remake of the Argentine thriller NINE QUEENS (2000) revolves around a veteran grifter, his younger apprentice and the con of a lifetime that falls into their laps. Richard Giddis (John C. Reilly) helps sweet-faced Rodrigo (Diego Luna) out of a tight spot when the green con artist gets caught bilking a waitress at a small-time casino, and makes the youngster an offer. Giddis specializes in two-man swindles and his regular partner is out of town; if Rodrigo would be willing to fill in for a day or two, he could learn some moves at the hands of a master. Giddis immediately shows Rodrigo a couple of tried-and-true scams — talking a gullible old lady out of cash and jewelry, screwing a waiter on the check — but is surprised when Rodrigo demonstrates some surprisingly smooth moves of his own. Then a world-class opportunity arises: Giddis' bitterly estranged sister Valerie (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a concierge at a luxury hotel, calls to demand that Giddis come and get rid of some old guy who collapsed in the lobby muttering Giddis' name. The old fellow, veteran counterfeiter Ochoa (Zitto Kazann), was trying to fob off a perfect duplicate of an 1878 Monroe Silver Certificate, the most valuable U.S. banknote in history, on billionaire collector Hannigan (Peter Mullan), who must leave the country within 24 hours and is ripe to be buffaloed into a transaction that he'll no doubt repent at leisure. Ochoa is too sick to handle the schmoozing, so Giddis and Rodrigo cut themselves in and the games begin. Luna has the more likable role — he's only in the game to get money to cover his ailing father's gambling debts — but it's Reilly's show and he sheds his usual downtrodden shlubbiness for Giddis' slickly amoral skin with surprising facility. Mullan delivers a hugely enjoyable performance as the reptilian Hannigan, and Gyllenhaal is a marvel of tight-lipped fury in a discreetly sexy suit. The character bits are ultimately just window dressing, though; the film lives or dies on its twisty-turny plot. While Steven Soderbergh (lurking behind the pseudonym Sam Lowry) rejiggered writer-director Fabian Bielinsky's original script, the remake is infinitely more entertaining if you haven't seen NINE QUEENS — the details are different, but the surprises are the same and something of the first film's underlying darkness has been lost in translation. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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