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Henrie's Recipes
Just trying to make a dishonest buck
By Jocelyn Newmarch
Posted Tue, 21 Oct 2003
Latin America has produced a surfeit of good movies in recent years, and this trend shows no sign of slowing with Argentina’s ‘Nine Queens’, a film which will keep you guessing right up to the end.
At first sight, Juan and Marcos appear to be chalk and cheese.
Babyfaced Juan is a crook with a conscience — you know, the kind who balks at conning an old lady out of her wedding ring, but then does it anyway. He protests he’s only in the game to raise money so his poor old dad can get out of prison by bribing the judge, and such is his charm we have no trouble believing him.
Fast-talking Marcos, a born thief, is an experienced swindler with none of Juan’s scruples. He’d con his own family out of their inheritance, and of course does so without a trace of regret.
But both are con artists in the true sense of the word. They are no common or garden pickpockets, nor are they crudely violent, unimaginative muggers. Their cons are executed with elegant, precise sleight-of-hand, and it's a joy for the audience to watch — especially as we're pretty sure our handbags and wallets are exactly where they should be.
They meet up when Marcos rescues an inexperienced Juan, who has committed the cardinal sin of trying to pull the same bill-changing trick twice in the same shop. As it happens, Marcos is in need of a partner, and he persuades Juan to work with him for the day.
They do pretty well… and then they stumble on the mother of all scams, involving a set of extremely rare stamps known as the Nine Queens.
Writer-director Fabian Bielinsky’s comedy-thriller is right on the money, and he doesn’t put a foot wrong throughout. The pace is fast and funny, the script sharp and pertinent, and actors Ricardo Darin (Marcos) and Gaston Pauls (Juan) are totally believable and always sympathetic.
For more information, check out the film's official website: http://www.magiclanternpr.com/films/Nine_Queens.htm
What the international critics are saying:
"An engaging criminal romp that will have viewers guessing just who's being conned right up to the finale."
— Rod Armstrong, REEL.COM
"The kind of movie that seduces you into becoming putty in its manipulative card-sharking hands and making you enjoy being taken in by its shameless contrivance."
— Stephen Holden, NEW YORK TIMES
"While Bielinsky doesn't bring anything new to the table, he has a smartly engineered scheme and a good poker face, and he's mastered the essential art of misdirection."
— Sean Axmaker, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
"...a delicious crime drama on par with the slickest of Mamet."
— David Cornelius, AMAZING COLOSSAL WEBSITE
