Criminal Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)September 7th, 2004
CRIMINAL
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
As seasoned con artist Richard Gaddis, John C. Reilly (CHICAGO) is terrific in CRIMINAL, a remake of NINE QUEENS (NUEVE REINAS), an Argentinean film released just two years ago in the U.S. Almost as good in a supporting but key role is Maggie Gyllenhaal (SECRETARY), who plays Richard's very sexy sister, Valerie. Richard and Valerie are currently in a war over their dead mother's estate with Richard doing his best to steal it all from Valerie and their brother, Michael (Jonathan Tucker). While Richard is a two-time loser in the criminal world, she works as a very respectable concierge at a luxury hotel, where she wears one knock-out, tight-fitting silk suit after another.
As the movie opens, Richard is in the process of recruiting and training a young scam artist named Rodrigo, whom Richard renames Ryan and who later becomes known as Brian. Rodrigo, or whatever he is called, is played blandly but acceptably by Diego Luna, last seen disastrously in another remake, DIRTY DANCING: HAVANA NIGHTS. Luna's one nice piece of acting was in Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN.
Richard thinks he has a lot to teach Rodrigo. "You don't even know what you don't know," he tells his potential protégé. The frequently funny film is full of such staccato, Mamet-like dialog. In another scene, Richard reflects disgustedly, "I don't get this whole family thing. You're like your dad, and he's like his dad." Rodrigo irritates Richard simply because Rodrigo still cares about his family and is working to pay off his father's gambling debts to some dangerous Russians.
Speaking of irritating, the problem in this the-big-twist-is-coming story is that it is easy to get irritated by how simple it is to guess who is really being conned and why. However, the fine acting and sharp dialog provide more than enough pleasures so that you won't mind that you can easily picture the ending scene correctly almost from the beginning.
CRIMINAL runs a crisp 1:27. It is rated R for "language" and would be acceptable for kids around 11 and up.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, September 10, 2004. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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