Nine Queens

Fans of David Mamet's House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner will take especial delight in Fabian Bielinsky's exceedingly clever con caper in which two men--an older professional named Marcos (Ricardo Darin) and a "beginner" named Juan (Gastón Pauls)--team up to "do some business," working their way through a number of petty swindles that serve as mere prologue to an increasingly convoluted scheme to take possession of some rare stamps called the Nine Queens. "I should know when someone's pulling a trick on me," Juan sighs, early on. So should the audience, but it's to this film's credit that it stays one step ahead of viewers until the very last payoff. Winner of a Buenos Aires Project Greenlight-esque scriptwriting contest, Nine Queens is suspenseful, populated with colorful characters, and great fun. Enthusiastically recommended. Trust me. (K. Lee Benson)