Nine Queens

This place is going to hell." Those are among the first words spoken by Marcos to Juan, two con men who've just met after Marcos saves Juan from a grift gone bad. They're walking down a street in Buenos Aires as he says it, and you're struck by how precient his words are, spoken in a film made almost two years before Argentina's utter economic meltdown.Juan (Gaston Pauls) is a small-time grifter whose principal asset is his baby face, and a talent for fleecing old ladies. Marcos is an old pro who, as played by Ricardo Darin, oozes cynicism and sinister intent. On a day that promises to be filled with opportunity, Marcos suggests that the younger man become his partner, since two-man teams can pull more elaborate cons. Juan agrees, but remains wary of the old pro, certain that he's going to be conned himself. In one, stunning sequence, Marcos reveals to Juan that, on any given day, the streets are filled with grifters, hinting that the whole of society is engaged in one constant con job. The irony is rich as, it's apparent now, that was abundantly true of Argentina, nowhere more so than in the banks and the government. Writer/director Fabien Bielinsky obviously intended Nine Queens to be more than a taut, cynical heist film, and as luck would have it, history proved him right. As the day unravels, Marcos drags Juan into an ambitious con job involving a disgraced businessman on the verge of deportation, and a set of rare, valuable stamps. Every step of the way, Juan is pulled further into the scheme as it teeters on the verge of failure, desperate for money but wary of the double-cross that Marcos certainly has waiting for him.

This thoroughly engaging and endearing film is as much of a swindle as the plot itself, stealthily stealing your concentration and your affection even as it cheats you of a credible plot. The closing scene offers a reveal that turns our expectations on their head, but it doesn’t stand scrutiny – it’s a sleight of hand. Winner of several awards and much acclaim, its popularity is explained by its chutzpah which alone makes it a rewarding outing, with great performances, lots of throwaway humour and a real story teller’s yarn of crooks with more dash than cash. Nine Queens is a heist movie with a twist or two, but the twists come from the characters, which is why it works for an audience. The characters are the key to its success as a popular film, and its offbeat story is so well done it entertains broadly. It takes a swindler to know a swindler, and movie is full of them. Swindlers and swindles, that is. A wonderfully entertaining and polished heist movie, Nine Queens is more than just a splendid con. One swindle merges into the next, until we are absolutely dizzy, and are unsure of who is swindling who? Or whom. Everybody wants something, and then some. But I don’t want to tell you too much about the plot, because there are so many joys in discovering how each twist and turn intertwines and creates a life of its own. The script fascinates and never lets up, while the performances by the central trio keep us glued like magnets. In this film, the cast make the film zing, and the director keeps things skipping nicely. It’s that kind of film; it’s funny, tragic, quirky and totally compelling. With its upbeat music soundtrack and crooked, but likeable characters, Nine Queens is a winning hand indeed.