The Spanish Prisoner

The Spanish Prisoner is a delicious puzzle of a film made up of great performances and even better dialog.

The plot sees Campbell Scott as the inventor of a potentially lucrative process who begins to question things after meeting a stranger, played by Steve Martin.

The inspired casting Campbell Scott and Steve Martin in the leads provides a great foundation. Scott, one of the most underrated actors of his generation, is perfect as the somewhat naïve inventor who slowly becomes aware of the minefield he’s wading through, while Martin, whose dramatic talents now seem to outweigh his comedic ones, provides the perfect foil, exuding enough charisma to seem believable, but not so much as to eclipse Scott. This is a movie grounded in a very white-collar reality that eschews “stars” in favor of actors, as the only star here is the story.

The script by writer-director David Mamet is truly first-rate. From the labyrinthine plot that never seems forced, to the rhythmic dialog and the wonderfully symmetrical ending, Mamet delivers his best screenplay since Glengarry Glen Ross. This is a movie that revolves around secrets and lies, and the elegant way in which Mamet places the pieces of his puzzle is a joy to watch. His characters never spell things out. They hint and allude to them instead, confident in the audience’s ability to connect the dots and discover the truth.