In Case You Missed It: The Spanish Prisoner
In Case You Missed seeks to examine films that time has forgotten about or you simply didn't see when it was released. Upon rewatch, we will review the film and try to figure out why it was missed and/or forgotten. It will then be given a final rating ranging from Hidden Gem, Humdrum or Hot Garbage.
This Week's Film: The Spanish Prisoner
Starring: Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, Felicity Huffman, Ben Gazzara
Director: David Mamet
Release Date: 04/03/1998
Box Office:
Open: 124K on 7 Screens
Total: 9.5 Million
Initial Reaction:
This is much more of a slow burn than I remembered. The web of intrigue and deception the movie spins is an involving one with a solid central mystery. Corporate engineer Joe (Campbell Scott) was outsourced to develop a "process" for a company run by Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara) that is going to be quite lucrative. During a company meeting in St. Estephe, Joe meets the mysterious Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin), who immediately takes a liking to Joe and offers friendship and a potential date with his sister once they get back to New York. Soon, it appears there is more to Jimmy than meets the eye as a lot of the things Jimmy has told Joe stop lining up. This leads to the ultimate question of who is Jimmy Dell and should Joe trust him?
Standout Moments:
For a movie that is driven by red herrings, it's hard to find any actual sequences as the film is very largely dialogue driven. The one that does stand out to me is the meeting in the park. At this point in the film, Joe was warned that his company might not give him fair compensation for his work, which appears to be coming true as they want him to restructure his deal. Jimmy has offered the services of a friend to help out Joe in case this happened. Things surrounding Jimmy were already looking suspicious and when he asked Joe to bring the "process" to the meeting with Jimmy's friend, this set off alarm bells. Joe has contacted FBI agent Pat McCune (Felicity Huffman, who he met on St. Estephe, who tell him to listen to anything Jimmy says and before the meeting Joe is fitted with a wire. Joe goes to the meeting but Jimmy's contact never shows up. He calls McCune and is surprised when a man's voice answers. He then checks the notebook his process was in to find it empty. To this day, I still don't know where the notebook switch happened and it's a bravura moment of pulling the rug out on the audience.
What did/didn't work:
This is a very plot heavy movie that begins slowly and is filled with dialogue that is very clearly written by a playwright. Once the central mystery kicks in and the con is on, this becomes a solid little thriller due to the fact that Joe can really trust no one.
It can be a little frustrating though, mostly because Joe isn't very smart. There are moments where he gives up personal information very easily, something that is more noticeable in today's age of phishing than it may have been in 1998. It's subtle when it happens and maybe it's something that you would only notice on a rewatch. Joe even commits the cardinal sin of touching a dead body and murder weapon without gloves and leaves his bloody glasses at a crime scene. Also, for those looking for closure, the explanation by Dell at the end is somewhat drowned out by a boat horn. I personally loved that touch but others might find it a tad pretentious.
Why was it missed:
This is also the first and only PG film that Mamet made, abandoning the profanity laced speeches that frequent his films and plays. Maybe fans of his weren't interested in this friendlier tone. It also opened limited against Lost in Space and Mercury Rising, with Titanic still banking over 10M in week 16 of release. While it did roll out to more theaters over the following weeks, it never cracked the Top 10 at the box office.
Rating: Humdrum
Despite my fondness for the film dropping a bit, this is a well acted and engrossing con film with an out of character turn from a fabulous Steve Martin. It is slow but once the mystery is laid out, there is a lot to appreciate.