NINE QUEENS
(Argentine with Eng. subtitles)
A young man walks into a late night mini mart and scams the cashier out of a few bucks, leaves and waits outside until the shift changes a few minutes later. He goes back into the store and repeats the scam. The owner steps out of the back and confronts the young man. They tussle. Another older gentleman, who observed the scam steps out of the background, claims to be a cop and escorts the young man out of the store. A good distance away, he frees the man and introduces himself as a veteran grifter. Two sob stories and several scams later a partnership is born between Marcos (Ricardo Darin) - the older - and Juan (Gaston Pauls) the younger. Pretty soon both are out to swindle an old man out of a rare stamp known as Nine Queens.
Halfway into "Nine Queens" you don’t know who’s scammin’ who. In one classic scene Marcos points out one grifter, pickpocket, and petty thief after another in a city teeming with people. Juan explains he needs just enough money to get his father out of a gambling debt. Marcos still takes him under his wing and begins to show him the tricks of the trade. He does everything from skipping out on his lunch tab to conning his way into the homes of little old ladies. Marcos has no remorse and only one aim - to live the high life at the expense of other people, even Juan’s. A whole cadre of talented con artists are just one phone call away to fill his needs. Juan is taken in by his panache and tells him about this rare stamp. Writer/director Fabian Bielinsky’s story kicks into high gear with a plan to steal the stamp that involves Marcos’ sister, his younger brother, a stamp collector about to be kicked out of the country and an inheritance.
If you love the ins and outs of such David Mamet like "House of Games" or "The Spanish Prisoner," then you’ll love "Nine Queens." The premise works, the acting is good, and the pacing brisk. And it’s lots of fun!
Copyright 2000
The title of this video pix makes this choice seem obvious but anything by director,
Robert Bresson, is not. His work is an acquired taste at best but this one hits the mark
"Pickpocket" (1959) (Fr. with Eng. subtitles) - An arrogant lonely and emotionless thief feels he is above the law. A detective relentlessly pursues him. Inspired by Doestoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, the thief, Michael, is redeemed by love in the end. More interesting than exciting, Bresson concentrates on the mundane aspects of the thief’s life before he unleashes a montage of Michael skimming one pocket after another that makes his sleight of hand look like an art form. This sequence alone is worth the price of a rental.
Another con man in another setting
"Paper Moon" (1973) - Dir. Peter Bogdonavich: Ryan O’Neal is a con man working his way through the Southwest who becomes saddled with a homeless girl when he tries to use her as a pawn in one of his schemes. Tatum O’Neal is the girl who learns fast and gets a chance to teach her new mentor a thing or two. Great evocation of people trying to survive during the Great Depression.
A much grittier view of a con artist’s world
"The Grifters" (1990) - Dir. Stephen Frears: John Cusack is a small time con man who falls for Annette Benning, a younger and possibly more ruthless version of his mother, played by Anjelica Huston. With the late great J.T. Walsh in a role comparable to Steve Martin’s in "The Spanish Prisoner."
The world of the con artist as a place for fun and games
"The Sting" (1973) - Dir. George Roy Hill. Multi Oscar winning movie about two con men, Paul Newman and Robert Redford out to take racketeer and big time gambler, Robert Shaw, in ‘The Big Con,’ - a game called ‘the wire’ that takes place in a bookie joint during a bogus horse race. This fun movie holds up over time.
The two movies from David Mamet that have the most in common with "Nine Queens"
"House of Games" (1987) - Lindsay Crouse (Mamet’s wife at the time) is a psychiatrist and best selling author who gets taken in by Joe Mantegna and his cronies. You never know who’s using who in a con game that becomes deadly. Great fun and quite unique at the time.
"The Spanish Prisoner" (1998) - Campbell Scott is an inventor who gets suckered into a scheme by a stranger who befriends him who wants to steal his secret formula - a formula that will ‘change the world we live in.’ You never know who Scott’s friends are. Stellar cast includes Steve Martin, Ricky Jay, Ben Gazarra, and Rebecca Pidgin, Mamet’s wife.