Greed makes suckers out of us all. In communities all around the world, swindlers, pickpockets, shoplifters, and all types of scoundrels prey upon ordinary people and business establishments. These tricksters work the streets duping those who are always looking for something more and taking advantage of the generosity of those who genuinely care about other people.
In this fast-paced and very suspenseful thriller, the setting is a large city in Argentina. Juan (Gaton Pauls) is in the midst of a bill-changing scheme in a delicatessen when he’s spotted by Marcos (Ricardo Darin), a veteran con man. He wants to hand on some of the tricks of the trade to this rookie. Juan’s former teacher, his father, is in prison.
Marcos wants the younger man to join him in a big score. It involves the sale and resale of some priceless printed stamps — the Nine Queens — from the Weimar Republic. The target is Gandolfo (Ignasi Abadal), a wealthy businessman and wheeler-dealer who collects stamps.
Marcus has done all the spade work for the swindle — getting the forgeries and involving his sister Valeria (Leticia Bredice), who works at the hotel where Gandolfo is staying. Her feud with Marcos over his cheating her and another brother, Federico (TomasFonzi), out of a family inheritance adds a little spice to the proceedings.
Writer and director Fabián Bielinsky has crafted a top-notch suspense story that contains as many twists and reversals as a David Mamet creation. In a world where everyone is out to get something for nothing, no one is very trustworthy. Especially those who pretend to be naïve. Nine Queens is a very entertaining film about the shadow side of play.
