This was my second favorite film of the Festival and in spite of the fact that I'm a big fan of its writer/director David Mamet, it caught me by surprise. The title of the film is extremely misleading and makes the film sound like a rather dry political drama when, in fact, The Spanish Prisoner would more appropriately be classified as not only a thriller but also a thematic sequel to Mamet's earlier film, House of Games.
The Spanish Prisoner is a remarkably suspenseful film containing more twists and turns than even The Usual Suspects. It is a masterpiece of paranoia, in the tradition of Rosemary's Baby. Unsurprisingly, for a Mamet film, the dialogue is as showy and inventive as the plot, with a number of memorable one-liners.
Campbell Scott, as Joe Ross, serves as not only the moral centre of the film but also the audience surrogate, and gives a career best performance. At times, his character's complete lack of street-smarts strains credibility but one must remember that there are plenty of people in the world just as naive as the character he plays.
Ben Gazzara and Steve Martin are also excellent in the film, with Martin absolutely convincing in a dramatic role, for a change. Ricky Jay (again) is also good in a small part as Joe's business partner.
This is a film that I would strongly recommend to anyone, but especially to those who enjoyed The Usual Suspects.
I've been going on a bit so I'll make the next three short and sweet.
