You Ain't Seen Me, Right? - The Spanish Prisoner (1997)

You Ain't Seen Me, Right? shines a spotlight on lesser-known films worthy of your attention. But they're not the type of obscure, out-dated movie that are of no interest to anyone anymore - look, this one has Steve Martin in it.

You Ain't Seen Me, Right? is brought to you by Daniel Palmer, of Part-Time Infidel web fame. His eyes have their own aspect ratio.

The Spanish Prisoner(1997)

Buy the DVD on Amazon

David Mamet's debut play Lakeboat (1970) signalled the emergence of an exciting new theatrical voice; so much so that the term ‘Mamet Speak' was coined to describe the clipped, caustic tone that permeates his work. It wasn't long before Mamet's rare linguistic gifts were appropriated by the film world. His first cinematic assignment was to pen the screenplay for Bob Rafleson's steamy remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981). He quickly became a much sought after script doctor, called upon to ‘punch up' screenplays, often without credit. Mamet soon began directing his own work, with a particular focus on portraits of gamblers, grifters and thieves like House of Games (1987), Heist (2001) and this tightly plotted, multi-layered thriller.

Joseph Ross (Campbell Scott) is a corporate engineer. He has developed a new ‘process' that will give the company he works for total market dominance. He and the company's lawyer, George (Ricky Jay), travel to the Caribbean to meet with the company's owner, Mr Klein (Ben Gazzara). On the flight over, they meet Susan (Rebecca Pidgeon), a secretary with the company who takes a shine to Joseph.

While taking holiday snaps, Joseph and Susan accidentally capture a wealthy stranger, Julian Dell (Steve Martin), with a married woman. Julian offers to buy Joseph's camera for $1,000, but Joseph gives it to him. Touched by this kind gesture, Julian befriends Joseph, who agrees to take a package back to New York for Julian's sister. Joseph becomes embroiled in a complex plot with multiple twists and motives.

Like much of Mamet's work, an air of moral ambiguity pervades. The cast rises admirably to the challenges posed by such uncertainty, leaving the viewer guessing as to their characters' intentions to the end, misdirecting them with an array of non-verbal techniques. In one of his best dramatic performances, Martin relishes the opportunity to subvert his beloved on-screen persona, exulting in Julian's almost aggressive largesse. Scott shows another facet of his diverse dramatic range as the uptight, officious technocrat whose latent ambition and greed is exploited by malign forces with designs on his lucrative creation, blinded by glimpses of conspicuous wealth. Mamet does not encourage us to root for Joseph, simply to marvel at the ingenuity of the forces encircling him, and watch the trap slowly closing.

Of course, The Spanish Prisoner is rife with the foreshadowing, rapid-fire dialogue and world-weary aphorisms that are part and parcel of Mamet's oeuvre - George speaks almost exclusively in bon mots, and Susan says to Joseph at one point, ‘you never know who anybody is'. But the dialogue is less stentorian and splenetic then the macho interplay found in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992); it is the sophistry of diplomatic jargon and business doublespeak.

In Mamet's world, there are no depths to which rivals will not stoop to gain an advantage; a momentary lapse in judgement can derail the most auspicious course. The Spanish Prisoner brings together a classic Noir conceit with Hitchcockian suspense and corporate intrigue, using genre convention to explore Joseph's pact with Mammon.
That's it, add to your LOVEFiLM list or keep an eye out for it on late-night TV - just so long as you pay it the sweet attention it deserves. More from You Ain't Seen Me, Right? next week.