The Spanish Prisoner

David Mamet, 1997 (8.0*)
This is another Mamet con-artist crime classic, like House of Games. Campbell Scott (son of George) has created a valuable formula for a company, who then becomes the target of corporate espionage. Steve Martin has an interesting straight part here, but its hard to describe this film without giving anything away; suffice to say that if you like intellectual puzzle crime stories with twists and turns rather than gunplay, this will be a very rewarding film for you. Some of the acting lacks intensity, but its not that style of film, this is more like a long, slow crime you can savour.

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House of Games

Dir: David Mamet, 1987 (9.1*)
Just about the perfect con-artist film. Mamet’s wife Lindsay Crouse plays a psychiatrist who writes books, and lets a client know she’s doing one on con-games and their perpetrators. She is then swept into their world by Joseph Mantegna, and gets far more than she bargained for. That's Ricky Jay doing the card tells, technical advisor for Mamet on his con-artist films, and usually given a part. This complex thriller gets you deeper and deeper into the plot until there’s barely room to get out. My favorite script of Mamet's.

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