Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

John Brooks As I inspect the review department, I pick up a lot of "masterpiece" or "excellent subtle great...etc thriller" opinions, which is definitely very odd. And not just the common fans, even "pro" critics. I think movie-goers have put the emphasis on the crime-mystery plot and figured it was well put together and suspenseful til the very end ? But rather than focus too much on what everybody else is saying, I'd say this. The film is very slow to finally get started and REALLY does feel like a B film even about 30min into it. I felt awkward/embarrassed towards the others having picked this one for the night. The delivery of the lines, the atmosphere, that slowness overall or even the filming/irregularity in sound from scene to scene felt very amateurish...I indulged into it and waited for the plot to finally open up show its quality. If anything, this had an almost David Lynch element to it in how distinctly atypical it felt, lead actor Campbell Scott being such a cold distant, distinguished almost a bit eerie protagonist with a Kyle MacLachlan springing to mind, sort of on the border of being a 'bad actor' but not really at the same time.So this is one of these super convoluted mystery-thrillers where the protagonist somehow finds himself into some deep crud and he can't be sure who to trust anymore and tensions switch sides every time ... it's well done in how it keeps the suspense going til the very end.In the finer details, there are those facts of the film that seem too convenient but we understand need to happen to stick to the plot...Eh. Not bad though. 6.5/10.

Lechuguilla As the story begins you get the feeling that, despite the triviality, something important is going on. But you don't know quite what it is. Early scenes, with a variety of characters, contain little bits of business that imply, suggest, hint, portend. Dialogue adds to this impression. "You never know who anybody is", says one character to another. Welcome to the world of corporate intrigue.Our protagonist is Joe Ross (Campbell Scott), presumably a Boy Scout type straight arrow, innocent and charming. On behalf of the company he works for, he has created a formula called "the process", highly valued, that will make him and his company rich. Trouble is, others may want to steal his formula. The appeal of this film is the challenge of trying to figure out, among all the characters, who are the good guys and who are the villains.Except for scenes early in the plot and at the end, most scenes take place indoors, using sets with persuasive production design. These interior scenes are lit darkly, consistent with a dark, sinister tone. There are lots of close-up shots, as the emphasis here is on characters. What secrets, if any, are they hiding? Background music is low-key with just a hint of Spanish origin. Casting is acceptable; overall acting is quite good.My only complaint is that the story is a bit too contrived. I can't imagine that a villain, or villains, would go to such extreme lengths to accomplish their objective. A simpler plot might have been more realistic.Even so, this is a very good movie. What makes "The Spanish Prisoner" so enjoyable is that it is all story ... no camera gimmicks, no annoying car chases or obnoxious TV news reporters, no filler. As a result, some viewers will find the film slow going, dull, and bland. It's a film for intelligent viewers who like puzzles and mysteries. And its theme of greed fits right in with contemporary American culture.

wawwazat This movie has hints of Secret Societies and agendas that could be real. The talk in the board room about making money off of Global Warming even though it is a bogus science, and that it would take the world 5 years to figure out the bogus science and that would give them time to make $30million? $30 billion?, $300 billion? We didn't get to see the amount on the blackboard. This movie was ahead of it's time. I saw many odd things like the poster in the office hallway that had a finger pointing and it said "Someone Talked". As if the Illuminati had a weak link and their agenda got out. Then the poster in Steve Martin's fake office that had 2 planes on it and said "New York". I'll have to watch it again, very good stuff. I think Mamet did 'Barfly', one of my favorite movie's, also 'Things Change'.

jasondavismit Someone doubted that the red book switch ("the process") could work. I think it could. Well, in the least, Mamet put it in the film: compare 1:02:30 & 1:02:38 (at least that's the timing on my DVD): the walkie-talkie on top of the red book moves! This is the signal that the guy behind the hero on his left has switched it.Then go forward to 1:02:49-1:02:50 where you can barely see this guy pull it from behind his back! The switch works.This movie pays re-watching for how Mamet layered con-work into the subtext.Let me offer another mystery: why does Ricky complain that he has "the flu"? Cheers, J