Criminal (2004)

Director:

Gregory Jacobs

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

7 October 2004 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

By the time you figure it out ...you've been had.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Counterfeit | Con Artist | Double Cross | Brother Sister Relationship | Bartender

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-11 | Ireland:12A | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40569) | Brazil:14 | Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Criminal Films Inc.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Richard and Rodrigo are walking down the street, the briefcase jumps from Richard's left hand to his right hand (next to Rodrigo).

Quotes:

Richard Gaddis: [speaking to Rodrigo] You have one thing money and practice can't buy - you look like a nice guy.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Nueve reinas (2000)

Soundtrack:

Sing a Simple Song

Since When Do Get-Rich-Quick Schemes Work?

Before setting forth reading my review of Criminal, you must take into account that it's apart of a genre that I cannot get enough of. Even if I finally have gotten out of an obsessive heist/ con phase that lasted almost half a decade, I still glow with infinite enthusiasm when I see one. I've seen Criminal about eight times now. Not as many times as I've seen Ocean's Eleven and Twelve, The Good Thief, Bound, Heist, or Gambit, but considering the amount of time that spans from the present and the time when I first saw it, eight is a big number.

Considering the point of view of someone who is not as enthusiastic about heist and con movies, I would have to say this movie is a forgettable piece of channel-flipping entertainment. It's a very well-written, well-acted movie, but you have to be at least a little bit of a fan of the genre, because there's nothing else you can consider it to be. It has the subtlest elements of comedy, drama, and thriller. It couldn't be ruled out as one of the three, because they each blend in so elusively into the film's atmosphere. If you are a fan of the genre, you are in for a more than satisfying treat, almost an orgasm. If you are not, I suppose you can like it well enough, mainly for John C. Reilly's fantastically sleazy performance.

It's a great con story with truly surprising twists all through the film, beginning with a series of wonderfully clever short cons that are surely not repeated from any other con films (and believe me, even the most obscure con film you can think of I've probably seen). It's a brain- buster but very relaxing to watch, an easy recliner of a movie, possibly thanks to the very plain, simplistic film-making, almost like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. John C. Reilly adds loads to the level of enjoyment one gets out of this movie, very clearly enjoying his genuinely nasty, arrogant, greedy character. He steals every scene, among other things, and makes for one of the most entertaining grifters in the movies, loud and care-free rather than the usual introverted yet unrealistically suave stoic that we usually see as the thief or con artist in these movies. His level of crassness and immorality, which he blatantly cares nothing about, is sometimes laugh-out-loud hilarious in that low-brow way.