Nine Queens

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amznwin.focus();} document.open(); document.write("<a href=javascript:popUp('http://buybox.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=reelmoviecriticc&link_code=xsc&creative=23424&camp=2025&path=/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/assoc/-/B00006G8G3/reelmoviecriticc/ref=ac_bb1_,_amazon')><img src=http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/remote-buy-box/buy1.gif border=0 alt='Buy from Amazon.com' ></a>"); document.close(); </script> <noscript> <form method="POST" action="http://buybox.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=B00006G8G3"> <input type="hidden" name="asin.B00006G8G3" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="tag-value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="image" name="submit.add-to-cart" value="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" alt="Buy from Amazon.com" src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/add-to-cart.gif"> </form> </noscript>  </B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Nine Queens    </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Wingdings 2" ><B>êêê</B></FONT><B> ½   Stars    </B></div> <div> Rated R for language </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> Reviewed by Shelley Cameron</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="588" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="588"><div> Ace in the hole</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="593" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="293"><div> Marcos: Ricardo Darin</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="293"><div> Juan : Gaston Pauls</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="293"><div> Valeria: Leticia Bredice</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="293"><div> Federico : Tomás Fonzi </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="293"><div> Director : Fabián Bielinsky</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="293"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="293" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> This complex con film is great fun and like any good knavery, has a satisfying twist.  Accomplished films continue to pour out of Latin America <B>(</B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2002/id1737.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2002/id17"><U><I><B>Y Tu Mama Tambien,</B></I></U></A><I><B> Amores Perros</B></I><B>,</B><I> Before Night Falls</I>) and this one can be added to the growing list.  It has something to say about social conditions in Argentina to boot.  The nine queens are a block of rare stamps worth upwards of one million dollars but half that on the black market, which is the only place slightly sleazy Marcos (Ricardo Darin) would ever get his hands on them.  </div> <bR> <div> Marcos observes Juan (Gaston Pauls) at a convenience store while he is pulling off a scam on the confused cashier.  As Juan is leaving with change for a hundred when he started with a fiver, a new cashier comes on duty.  Juan tries to pull the same fraud on the second cashier.  Marcos pulls a gun and arrests him as the bewildered storeowner looks on; glad there was a cop on hand.  Marcos leads Juan roughly away toward the police station.  Once out on the street, he reveals that he is no cop but has saved Juan from a real arrest.  He shares with Juan a few tricks of the trade and says he might want someone like Juan to work with, implying that Juan could really benefit from his mentoring.  Juan is reluctant but agrees to stick with him for one day. </div> <bR> <div> They do well enough together, but Juan decides Marcos is out of his league and decides not to partner up.  When a once in a lifetime chance to score big comes along, Marcos and Juan hook up again.  Enter the Nine Queens.  A retired counterfeiter and old confidant of Marcos approaches him with a deal.  The old man has carefully set up a plan to sell the stamps to a philatelist mobster who will be available for only one day because he is about to be deported.</div> <bR> <div> The plot thickens when Marcos runs into his estranged and sexy sister, Valeria (Leticia Bredice), who is employed at the hotel where the mobster is ensconced.  There is bad blood between Marcos and Valeria as a result of his cheating her and their younger brother, Federico, out of their parents' inheritance.  Marcos is always suspicious and on guard.  Juan is too open for Marcos' taste.  The freshness and innocence of Juan plays into the jaded Marcos' ego and his desire to run the show.  The chemistry between Juan and some of Marcos' cronies irritates Marcos but entices the viewer. </div> <bR> <div> A very impressive first effort from director and writer Fabian Bielinski as he explores the notion that street thieves use their cleverness and skill rather than weapons and physical violence.  Bielinsky mined stories of family and friends about real life swindles and knitted them into the film.  Unlike some recent "puzzle" films <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2001/id1913.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2001/id19"><U><I>(</I></U></A><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2001/id1913.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2001/id19"><U><I><B>Memento)</B></I></U></A><I><B>,</B></I> this one doesn't rely on any cinematic slight-of-hand to pull you in.  The motivations and interpersonal connections between the players are as intriguing as the twists and turns of the plot.  Fabian expertly weaves together the sting with the more subtle psychological gambits underlying the game. The rules are the everyday survival skills of corruption Marcos and company live by.  A really well crafted screenplay, economic dialog, and good performances from all, create the tone that keeps you guessing.  The visual style that takes us onto the streets of Buenos Aries and uses real people in the backgrounds completes and complements the theme nicely.</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> Shelley Cameron <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >Ó</FONT> 2002</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> <A HREF="mailto:shlcameron@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:shlcameron@aol.com"><U><U>Shelley@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>