The Spanish Prisoner (1997)

The Spanish Prisoner (1997) (DVD) (*)

~~$20.99~~ $14.97

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital Stereo )
Spanish ( Dolby Digital Stereo )
Spanish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
109 min + 1 min extras

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 1997 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
David Mamet

Written By:
David Mamet

Actors:
Campbell Scott ..... Joseph A. 'Joe' Ross
Steve Martin ..... Julian 'Jimmy' Dell
Rebecca Pidgeon ..... Susan Ricci
Ben Gazzara ..... Mr. Klein
Ricky Jay ..... George Lang
Felicity Huffman ..... Pat McCune
Richard L. Friedman ..... Businessman
Jerry Graff ..... Businessman
G. Roy Levin ..... Businessman
Hilary Hinckle ..... Resort Concierge
David Pittu ..... Resort Manager
Christopher Kaldor ..... Dell's Bodyguard
Michael Robinson ..... Security Person
Olivia Tecosky ..... Flight Attendant
Charlotte Potok ..... Bookstore Woman

Synopsis:

Writer-director David Mamet crafted this unusual, Hitchcockian thriller in which no one is who they appear to be. Campbell Scott is Joe Ross, who has just created a 'process' that stands to make his company and his boss, Klein (Ben Gazzara), millions of dollars. At a clandestine meeting in the Caribbean, Ross discusses the details of the process with company executives. There, purely by chance, or so he believes, he meets the wealthy, enigmatic Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin), and the two strike up an unusual friendship. Dell informs Ross that he's naïve to believe that his company will fairly compensate him for his valuable work. Upon returning home, Ross becomes paranoid that Dell is right, and he takes steps to protect his invention, becoming unsure if he can trust Klein or even his own love-struck assistant (Rebecca Pidgeon). When Ross discovers that Dell has lied to him about his identity, he contacts the FBI -- he then finds himself set up as a murder suspect who learns, almost too late, to trust no one. The title of the film refers not to any of the characters but to a classic con artist's scam.

Joe Ross is a rising star. He's designed a process that will make his company millions. He wants a bonus for this work, but fears his boss will stiff him. He meets a wealthy stranger, Jimmy Dell, and they strike up an off-kilter friendship. When the boss seems to set Ross up to get nothing, he seeks Dell's help. Then he learns Dell is not what he seems, so he contacts an FBI agent through his tightly-wound assistant, Susan Ricci. The FBI asks him to help entrap Dell. He accepts, a sting is arranged, but suddenly it's he who's been conned out of the process and framed for murder. Bewildered and desperate, he enlists Susan's aid to prove his innocence.

An employee of a corporation with a lucrative secret process is tempted to betray it. But there's more to it than that.

This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 05 September, 2012.