I had seen several movies written by David Mamet but none directed by him. This one was probably recommended to me because more than one reviewer found it Hitchcockian. I welcome an intelligent thriller.
Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) has devised a new and potentially super-profitable corporate strategy, a MacGuffin cryptically known only as "the Process." To celebrate, his boss (Ben Gazzara) invites him to a Caribbean retreat, where he meets affectionate new secretary Susan (Rebecca Pidgeon) and apparently rich and friendly tourist Jimmy (Steve Martin in a rare non-comedic role). Upon hearing of the Process, Jimmy advises Joe to contact a non-company lawyer so the executives don't stiff him on dividends. But Joe has no idea what lengths some people will go to for theft. Pretty soon, he starts to look and sound like a lying thief....
No, there are no Spaniards or prisoners (at least in the conventional sense) in the story. The title refers to an old con akin to the modern Nigerian prince scam. In this case, it's more convoluted than the classic version.
That's not entirely a good thing. Even reading up on the plot hasn't put all the pieces together for me, and I remain unconvinced that it all makes sense. Not to say it's impossible, only that the con involves more complications than necessary, some of which may serve only to reduce its chances of success. Sadly, I had been admiring the film's realism up to a point.
Also, thanks to the elaborate setup, we have to wait well into the 110-minute runtime for Joe to realize something's fishy. I hesitated to add the "thriller" tag, because you need patience to reach the first arguable thrill.
I don't consider it a spoiler to say that Joe shouldn't trust Jimmy. After all, what would you think of someone whose first words to you were "I'll give you $1,000 for that camera," after you'd taken a photo with him in the background? (This was before digital cameras became common, so deleting a pic was not an option.) I guess Martin was cast because he can be charismatic yet still seem a little off.
If only Scott could act that well. I realize that Joe has subpar people skills, as befits an engineering geek, but he kinda lets the dialog do the heavy lifting. And that Mamet dialog is more credible than quotable, with its many repetitions and incomplete sentences. I'll let you decide whether that's good or bad; I'm just glad for no swearing and something for women to do this time.
For a while, I came close to giving TSP high marks. Then it started to fall apart in my eyes. Maybe I should have come in with more of a mindset for The Big Sleep, which even fans may never resolve.
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