The Spanish Prisoner (1997) (David Mamet)

[zorbonaut]

The Spanish Prisoner is one of those films that has been under the radar for many years. It didn't do well at the Box office (Gross: $10,200,000 USA) but has consistently been one of my all-time favorite Mystery/Thrillers.

It wasn't always this way. Initially I was bored and disappointed with this film. It was slow paced, the dialogue that Mamet wrote was very unique as it doesn't even contain one curse word and obtained a PG rating which is crazy for this genre. Of course Mamet has always been known for his unique writing style and this film is no exception. I listed a few examples of this unique writing style below:

"Worry is like interest paid in advance on a debt that never comes due."

"Nobody going on a business trip would have been missed if he never arrived."

"Stun gun? What if you missed?
Well then, it would be back to the range for me..."


Roger Ebert had a great review of the film back in 1998. He compares the film to something that Alfred Hitchcock would have directed and I can see the reasoning behind that comparison. If you have a second, I would encourage you to read the review that I've linked below.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/th...-prisoner-1998

It is a shame that this title has never received a treatment on Blu-Ray and only exists on the DVD format. I fell in love with this film in the HD format as I watched it on HDnet many years ago.

Mamet gets praise for his writing in films such as Glengarry Glen Ross and The Untouchables and this praise is rightfully deserved. I just wish The Spanish Prisoner received this same type of acclaim as it is worthy as well.

Any one else enjoy this film?

I may get no comments in this thread as I'm sure many have not even seen this film. If you haven't, I would recommend giving it a chance.