NINE QUEENS aka NUEVE REINAS
Year: 2000
USA: Sony Pictures Classics
UK: Optimum Releasing
Cast: Ricardo Darin, Gastón Pauls, Graciela Tenembaum, Maria Mercedes Villagra, Gabriel Correa, Pochi Ducasse, Luis Armesto, Ernesto Arias, Amancay Espindola, Isaac Fajm, Jorge Noya, Leticia Bredice, Óscar Núnez, Ignasi Abadal, Carlos Lanari, Roberto Rey, Tomas Fonzi, Celia Juarez, Alejandro Awada, Antonio Ugo, Leo Dyzen, Elsa Berenguer, Carlos Falcone, Ricardo Diaz Mourelle, Ulises Celestino, Norberto Arcusin, Gabriel Molinelli, Emanuel Mercado, Claudio Rissi, Rolly Serrano
Director: Fabian Bielinsky
Country: Argentina
Language: Spanish (English subtitles)
USA: 114 mins
UK: 113 mins
USA Rated: R for language
UK Certificate: 15 contains some strong language
USA Release Date: 19 April 2002 (Limited Release - Los Angeles and New York)
UK Release Date: 12 July 2002
Synopsis
NINE QUEENS aka NUEVE REINAS is the story of two small-time swindlers, Juan (Gastón Pauls) and Marcos (Ricardo Darin) who team up after meeting in a convenience store and become involved in a half-million dollar deal.
One morning, Marcus observes Juan successfully pulling off a bill changing scam on a cashier and then getting caught as he attempts to pull the same trick on the next shift. Marcus steps in, claiming to be a policeman and drags Juan out of the store. Safely outside Marcus reveals himself to be a fellow swindler with a much higher stakes game in mind and invites Juan to join him.
Juan is sceptical at first but agrees to work with Marcus after he impresses him with a few sophisticated cons. A once-in-a-lifetime scheme then seemingly falls in their laps - an old-time conman enlists Juan and Marcus to sell a forged set of extremely rare stamps - the Nine Queens. The tricky negotiations that follow bring into the picture a host of suspicious characters including Marcus' beautiful sister Valeria (Leticia Bredice), their innocent younger brother Federico (Tomas Fonzi) who idolises Marcus and a slew of thieves, conmen and pickpockets.
As the deceptions and duplicity mount it becomes more and more difficult to figure out who is conning whom, and we begin to ask ourselves, "who isn't the thief?"