The Spanish Prisoner

The Spanish Prisoner is a 1997 American suspense film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara and Ricky Jay. The film tells the story of an elaborate confidence game, known as the Spanish Prisoner. In 1999 the film was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay but was eventually edged out by Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sigh... more

The Spanish Prisoner is a 1997 American suspense film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara and Ricky Jay. The film tells the story of an elaborate confidence game, known as the Spanish Prisoner. In 1999 the film was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay but was eventually edged out by Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight. Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) is a corporate engineer who has recently invented a very lucrative industrial process that has not yet been patented. While on a corporate retreat at an island resort, Joe befriends a wealthy stranger, Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin), and one of the company's new secretaries, Susan Ricci (Rebecca Pidgeon). Back home in America, Jimmy suggests that Joe's company might not give him fair compensation for his work. Susan also makes vague suggestions that Joe should not trust anyone. Jimmy convinces Joe to use his legal... less