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The Spanish Prisoner
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The Spanish Prisoner (1997) More at IMDbPro »

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The Spanish Prisoner (1997) -- An employee of a corporation with a lucrative secret process is tempted to betray it. But there's more to it than that.

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   11,651 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 38% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
David Mamet
Writer (WGA):
David Mamet (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Spanish Prisoner on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 April 1998 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
Can you really trust anyone? more
Plot:
An employee of a corporation with a lucrative secret process is tempted to betray it. But there's more to it than that. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
The Flickcast – Episode 14: Revenge of the Fallen
 (From The Flickcast. 1 July 2009, 6:30 AM, PDT)

Cinematical Seven: Favorite Con Men (and Ladies)
 (From Cinematical. 14 May 2009, 8:33 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Runs rings around `The Usual Suspects' more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Campbell Scott ... Joseph A. 'Joe' Ross

Steve Martin ... Julian 'Jimmy' Dell

Rebecca Pidgeon ... Susan Ricci

Ben Gazzara ... Mr. Klein
Ricky Jay ... George Lang

Felicity Huffman ... Pat McCune
Richard L. Friedman ... Businessman
Jerry Graff ... Businessman
G. Roy Levin ... Businessman
Hilary Hinckle ... Resort Concierge
David Pittu ... Resort Manager
Christopher Kaldor ... Dell's Bodyguard
Michael Robinson ... Security Person
Olivia Tecosky ... Flight Attendant
Charlotte Potok ... Bookstore Woman
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG for thematic elements including tension, some violent images and brief language.
Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
A lot of similarities to 'The Water Engine'; a made for TV movie also written by David Mamet in which an inventor creates something special which he is paranoid (rightfully so) about maintaining the rights to (unsuccessfully, in both cases.) more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: Immediately after the business meeting at the start of the movie, as Joe and Mr Klein are walking along the beach, the furry cover on a boom mic can be seen dipping into view several times from overhead (TV version). more
Quotes:
Joe Ross: Funny old world.
Susan Ricci: Funny old world? Dog my cats!
Joe Ross: Dog my cats indeed.
more
Movie Connections:
References Charade (1963) more
Soundtrack:
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
25 out of 26 people found the following comment useful:-
Runs rings around `The Usual Suspects', 6 October 1999
10/10
Author: Spleen from Canberra, Australia

You heard me. Even if you prefer, say, Kevin Spacey's performance in `The Usual Suspects' to Campbell Scott's here (to each his own), at least this is a film that plays fair with us. We begin at what is, from the protagonist's point of view, the beginning of the tale; things happen that are interesting in their own right and not simply because we know that there's meant to be a mystery lurking somewhere; we are given information as we go along; and later revelations actually explain earlier puzzles. Mamet doesn't force us through a maze. Rather, he lets us watch someone else walk through the maze, and it's a pleasure.

I'm determined not to spoil this pleasure, so I'm unable to say anything at all, really, about what the movie's about. I can't even tell you to what the title refers. I can't even tell you whether it refers to something peripheral or central. I'd better watch my mouth. As the slogan of a poster in the film says, in letters screaming above a drawing of a torpedoed battleship, `Somebody talked.' Not me.

All of the cast turn in good performances - that's right, all of them. I'm tired of remarks about how Rebecca Pidgeon got her role because she's the director's wife. It could well be true, and it could also be true (for all I know) that she's an actress of minor abilities, but her abilities are more than sufficient to make us believe in the character she plays here. How, exactly, is she so very different from Campbell Scott, or from Steve Martin, who, everyone will surely concede, gave the performance of his life? This just isn't the kind of story suited to emoting-while-pretending-not-to acting. All of the characters must dissemble in front of at least one other of the characters (THAT gives nothing away, trust me), and all of them are just a little bit unsettling.

I'll close by putting in a word for Carter Burwell's score. The music consists of a single labyrinthine tune, which twists about until we THINK we've caught it, and then stops: it provides a perfect thumb-nail sketch of the film as a whole. Also like the film as a whole, it's simply fun. Unlike so many directors Mamet doesn't act as if he's working in a disreputable genre, in which it's somehow bad form to allow the audience to have too good a time.

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Rebecca Pidgeon's Acting maxcastleman
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