Criminal

It's almost always a good sign when a movie jumps right into a pivotal scene--skipping the opening credits, establishing exposition, or prefabricated title sequences--since it often signals that the director's focus is on telling the story. Director Gregory Jacobs' Criminal wastes no time pairing up a very green small-time con artist (Diego Luna) with a lifelong (but no less petty) short-con expert (John C. Reilly) in need of a new partner. But when they stumble into a six-figure big-time con--involving a meticulously forged antique treasury note--the stakes shoot up exponentially, and so do the consequences. The characters' habitual duplicity and backstabbing create a deceptively intricate plot maze in this sharp, shrewd, but not showy remake of the 2000 Argentine import Nine Queens, and before long our antiheroes are badly entwined in a scam they're no longer controlling. Jacobs' low-key, low-budget style gives his film an immediacy that, along with sharp but understated performances, lends palpable empathy to every character--be they victims, crooks, or something in between. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)