Criminal (2004)

Two con artists try to swindle a currency collector by selling him a counterfeit copy of an extremely rare currency bill.

Director:

Gregory Jacobs

Writers:

Fabián Bielinsky (film Nueve reinas), Gregory Jacobs (screenplay),

Stars:

John C. Reilly, Diego Luna, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John C. Reilly	...	Richard Gaddis
Diego Luna	...	Rodrigo
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Valerie
Peter Mullan	...	William Hannigan
Zitto Kazann	...	Ochoa
Jonathan Tucker	...	Michael
Laura Cerón	...	Waitress (as Laura Ceron)
Soledad St. Hilaire	...	Waitress #2
Ellen Geer	...	Grandma
Brandon Keener	...	Waiter / Daniel
Nick Anavio	...	Café Manager
Deborah Van Valkenburgh	...	Woman in Elevator
Maeve Quinlan	...	Heather / Soccer Man
Brent Sexton	...	Ron
Malik Yoba	...	Frank Hill

Storyline

Two grifters - boyish, likable Rodrigo and the scheming, cynical Richard - meet by chance. Richard, who has cheated everyone he knows, including his siblings, is missing his partner, so he offers Rodrigo a job for a day. Rodrigo accepts because he has some savings, but needs more to pay his father's gambling debts. Richard gets a call when an aging, ill ex-associate needs help to sell a forged treasury note to a businessman whose visa is expiring the next day, a wealthy man who sees a chance to turn a quick profit buying what he thinks is a stolen document. When the con men have to improvise, Richard asks Rodrigo to use his savings to set up the deal. Is Rodrigo being conned?

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Plot Keywords:

con | con artist | counterfeit | counterfeit money | con man | 

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Taglines:

Ever get the feeling you're being played?

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Independent Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

7 October 2004 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Eglimatika myala

Filming Locations:

Aon Center - 707 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$283,209 (USA) (10 September 2004)

Gross:

$923,426 (USA) (22 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Criminal Films Inc., Warner Bros, 2929 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS (8 channels) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the fact that this was filmed in the standard spherical format, "Filmed in Panavision" is listed in the end credits.

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Goofs

Ochoa's son in law claims the US Treasury stopped issuing gold and silver certificates in 1934. In reality, Silver Certificates were printed until 1964 and Gold Certificates until 1933.

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Quotes

Rodrigo: I'm sorry, man.
Richard Gaddis: About what?
Rodrigo: I thought you were trying to fuck me.
Richard Gaddis: If I was going to fuck you, you'd be fucked.

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Crazy Credits

The only opening credit is the title.

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Connections

Remake of Nine Queens (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Darn That Dream"
Written by Jimmy Van Heusen (as James Van Heusen) and Edgar De Lange
Performed by Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

An OK Americanization Into a Contemporary "The Sting"

"Criminal" is an adequate Americanization of one of my favorite films of 2002, the delightfully twisty "Nine Queens (Nueve Reinas)."

Adapter/debut director Gregory Jacobs doesn't quite make up for the extra tension that Argentina's financial chaos added as an urgent back drop.

Some of the twists are too smoothly straightened out by focusing more on the older con man, here played by John C. Reilly, and his sister, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal without the original's sensuality, despite her low cut blouse.

Diego Luna is a mite young, but he's cast to turn Reilly's character into more of a manipulative mentor and less an apparent partner.

On its own, without comparison to the original, it's an amusing and workmanlike update of "The Sting" crossed with "The Grifters."