Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

moonspinner55 American remake of the 2000 Argentinian film "Nine Queens" features John C. Reilly in a superlative performance as a sometimes-successful Los Angeles con-man who partners with a Spanish grifter he meets one morning trying to swindle waitresses in a casino; they become involved in a scheme to dupe an Irish billionaire out of 750 Gs with a rare (and counterfeit) bill of foreign currency. Director Gregory Jacobs, who also co-wrote the script with Sam Lowry (the pen name of Steven Soderbergh), wisely allows Reilly lots of room to go into his maniacal arias, which is a good thing since little else in "Criminal" quite measures up to him (certainly not that generic title!). Although the colorful supporting cast is excellent, Reilly is the spark plug to the entire picture--a fact which makes the final curtain something of a let-down. Since this house-of-cards scenario is filled with cross and double-cross, it's difficult to fault the general plotting (it's a writer's conceit, after all); however, the impetus of this story--how it all gets set into motion--is questionable by the denouement. Still, an engrossing and enjoyable film with a high-wire acting job from Reilly, which might have received a great deal more acclaim had the overall results been stronger. **1/2 from ****

screenman It's a movie about criminals. So; you can't trust 'em.In a pretty formulaic buddy match-up; an experienced world-weary cynical grifter finds himself an amateurish young trainee. Richard (the elder) is played by J C Reilly, who is blessed with the sort of unmemorable features that make him ill-fitted as a movie lead, yet perhaps ideally-suited for the profession his character represents. He's not quite the criminal big-wheel he fancies himself to be. Rodrigo, the ill-fitting Hispanic rookie is played by Diego Cumo. He's a punk, a loser. Or so it seems.As the movie progresses, we gain some insight into the ruthless mentality of Richard, both by his actions and his confessions. He's not particularly likable. But then neither is Rodrigo, who is evidently smarter than he looks.You can see that this is gonna be a twist-in-the-tail story. The question is, simply: how? In fact, there are several little twists that develop in a rapidly tightening plot. Eventually, I was left wondering - was this gonna be a bloody-awful-shock type ending, or an ironic, humorous morality tail. You can find out for yourselves.Most of what you see has been done before. 'Grifters' is the ultimate hard-edged bloody-awful-shocker, whereas 'The Sting' is probably the most memorable tongue-in-cheek morality scenario. In between there are others - 'Ocean's' several, 'The Score' and of course, this.Don't buy into the detractors too heavily; they may be selling you short. The technical issues of camera-work and sound score, editing etc, are all up to snuff. The players give good turns and the script is more-or-less believable. Watch it without a wallet filled with expectations and you shouldn't come away feeling fleeced.

dunmore_ego Honor among thieves? *I don't think so!* Well-dressed and well-spoken grifter, Richard (John C. Reilly), rescues inexperienced, young Spanish con artist, Rodrigo (Diego Luna) from an arrest, taking the supposedly-inexperienced youngster under his wing, at first for small cons, and then for a giant con that suddenly falls into his lap.Ah yes, but who is conning who? Well directed by Gregory Jacobs – or misdirected, as the case may be – from an Argentine movie, NINE QUEENS (Fabián Bielinsky's NUEVE REINAS, 2000), produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh (no strangers to confusing audiences – to wit: OCEAN'S 11/12/13), CRIMINAL is rife with scams within cons within plays.All very satisfactory, I might add, due in large part to the utmost conviction in all the exceptional performances. Twists in con movies tend to come at you with a groan, whereas the twisty storyline in CRIMINAL comes at you via a night-stick to the back of the knees.Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Reilly's sister, of whom he asks a morally-wretched favor, and Peter Mullan is a rich investor whom Reilly tries to sell a counterfeit bank note. All while trying to con Diego's life savings from his little illegal immigrant pockets.With the deceptive dance twirling to the last frame, you discover something about yourself when you watch these types of movies – whether you are sharp enough to see the reveal coming, or whether you LIKE being a blind bitch.

itssosublime This is a film adapted from the 2000 release of an Argentine film called "Nine Queens" or "Nueve Reinas". I won't go into too much detail about the plot of the film, because it's hard to do without spoiling it. What I will say is that if you enjoy films of this genre it's well worth devoting an hour and half to. This a well-paced film that wastes no time in delving right into the meat of it's plot line and doesn't let the viewer lose interest by cluttering things up with unnecessary characters or dialog. John C. Reilly plays the part of a con-man to perfection, though maybe not quite as endearing as Ricardo Darin in the original version, he more than compensates for his lack of likability in this film with his tremendous skill as a dramatic actor. Diego Luna, Reilly's younger, baby-faced accomplice in this film is also very enjoyable. His youthful appearance and polite demeanor were perfect for this role which made his performance as a con-man that much more impressive. The story sticks closely to that of the original, yet somehow lacks the intangible "it" that Nine Queens was able to convey. That in no way means that I didn't still enjoy this film. But, if you do like what you see here, make sure you also check out Nine Queens. 8/10