Nine Queens (2000)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

This is how a crime movie should be like; great, clever, fun and original. "Nueve reinas" has all of these elements in it, making this a great movie to watch! Really, it's a movie that deserves to be seen by more but most people have most likely never even heard about this movie, since it's an Argentinian production. This shall probably also scare a whole bunch of people off already but honestly, Latin American productions are often perfectly watchable ones and besides made in pretty much the same style as Hollywood productions. In other words; perfectly accessible to watch, even for those who aren't really accustomed to watching 'foreign' movies.It luckily was a movie that earned lots of critical praise and got recognized by still many, all over the world, as a great movie. It makes at all the more a big shame that director Fabián Bielinsky died a couple of years after this movie, at a fairly young age. I'm convinced that this guy could had made many more great movies, like this one.Foremost reason why this movie works out well is because it's being a fun movie to watch. Not necessarily in a comedy way but more due to the way the story progresses and how the main characters slowly but steadily get into more and more trouble, as they try to make a big score. It often gets them in some unexpected situations and ensures that the movie makes plenty of twists and turns with its story.It's a simple movie with its setup but one that gets made slightly more complicated with developments. Not that the movie ever gets hard to follow though. Saying that it's often being clever does not mean that it's also totally going overboard with anything and the story becomes too hard or complex to follow.It has some solid characters in it as well and the movie gets mostly carried by its two main leads, played by Ricardo Darín and Gastón Pauls. All around the movie features some good performances in it, which was also necessary, since it's actually a very talkative movie as well, once you start thinking back about it. Don't let this scare you off though, since the movie is still fast paced as well and features plenty of great developments and situations in it, that will keep you interested at all times.A movie that deserves to be seen by more!8/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Fabian Bielinsky's Nine Queens is a powerful film that primarily focuses on money, greed and the game. The con artists (Marcos and Juan) are in a large Spanish city where coning is more than just a game or high-seeking thrill, it is their jobs. Within the city coning seems to be the way of life for the majority, especially when speaking about Marcos and Juan. They become emotionally and physically wrapped up in the business of being con artists that neither friendship nor family is extremely important. What distinguishes Nine Queens as an abnormal con film is the concept of a con within in a con. The concept is hard to grasp until the credits but is very intriguing for the viewer to observe during the process. In Nine Queens the essential motive for social status take a toll on Marcos, especially after the scandal with his family (sister Valeria and younger brother Federico). That status situation for Marcos falls apart at the end, which comes to show that you cant always get what you want and nothing comes without a price. Despite the issues between Marcos and his family, the films plot is exceptional along with the quality. When considering the quality of the film a viewer definitely would notice the specific camera angles in which the scenes were shot and the non-dialectic sound, and know that Bielinksy put a lot of time and effort into this piece of work. Nine Queens most definitely has all the elements for a passion-filled film with excitement thrown in along the way.

Nine Queens is a simple story about two con men. Like any other story of this type, there is confusion, different characters and of course 'Money'. The story proceeds very smoothly and as it moves, there comes a point when you wonder who is a bad guy and who is good. Simple story line and good acting make it a very interesting watch. The director has obviously focused strongly on story telling and not tried any gimmicks. I found this movie during some random surfing and it was pretty fun to watch. As long as you don't have any specific expectations in mind, you will like it. There was definitely not one point during the movie that I felt bored. I would rate it 7/10 for its simplicity and elegance.

Nine Queens is a tricky little film, a film so in love with the notion of tricks and heists and cons that it revolves most of its first hour or so around extended shots of two people walking, talking and engaging in heists and cons. Before you know it, you're being set up for the much bigger picture – which is one massive theft of some stamps that evolves into a con itself. Yes, it's complicated but its the nature of the game and of the life the people within the film live. Nine Queens lures you in, like a con artist would. It lures you in and dares you to try and keep up with these rather shady but relatively smart and good-looking leads as they talk the talk and walk the walk in and about their chosen lifestyle. You don't want to fall behind and you don't want to feel as if you're being conned in the process.Such is the manner of Nine Queens, a film I sought out after watching director Fabián Bielinsky's quite excellent 2005, but unreleased in Britain, film entitled 'The Aura' which itself was a heist film of sorts but incorporated many other aspects of a theoretical and film-making nature. Nine Queens carries a distinct style and its twisting, intriguing narrative keeps on bending and twirling whilst providing necessary substance. This is more about introducing characters as archetype thieves to the degree the writer/director deems fit and then allowing the film's plot, twists 'n' all, to just take over and force the fleshing out to occur if and when necessary.The thinking required for the film is kicked off in the opening scene. Juan (Pauls), a young and 'upcoming' con artist, tries to covertly rob an all night store in the same cheeky manner he has already done. The staff notice and he's in trouble but for Ricardo Darín's character Marcos, who poses as a police man and escorts poor Juan to safety. Juan realises that Marcos isn't a cop once they're out and gone and they exchange words. Turns out Marcos is a con artist as well and they banter. But did Juan get caught on purpose or is he just an inexperienced kid? Did Marcos step in because he needs a fall guy, or because he pitied the man? Who's acting? Who isn't? Who's playing who and who knows more than the other? The mind games in the exchanges have only just begun.Initially, I think the film is so bold as to actually play out in real time. The scenes of Juan and Marcos scouring the streets in search of potential cons, as Marcos adopts the teacher role in showing pupil Juan the tricks of the trade, are fascinating. Initially, the symbolism of each other's respective 'role' lies in their clothes. Juan's casual, young and therefore inexperienced 'role' is suggested through his casual jacket and jeans but is it just acting as a distraction? On the other hand, Marcos' suit and very formal get up suggests the term 'organised criminal', someone who takes pride in their dress sense and (albeit illegal) work. Someone rich with experience and with a certain guile – it suggests Marcos is perhaps smarter.But is Bielinsky leading us down a path with this visual representation and pretty basic student/pupil set up? The bolt from the blue is the bombshell Marcos drops on Juan to do with the thieving of some priceless stamps, from whence the title of the film is born, due to be passed onto a Spanish buyer in the next few days. This is further developed when it is revealed Marcos' sister, Valeria (Brédice), works at the hotel the deal is supposed to occur in and doubles up as someone Juan seems to have his eye on from the beginning. Again, what does it all mean? Who knows more than the other? What's the con that's going on? With Juan needing a certain amount of money to aid in his arrested father's pledge for freedom, a sum close to half a million all of a sudden looks like quite a payday.But the film is more than a few cheery scenes of inventive cons and tricks. The film pauses for its characters to question themselves, raising issues of identity within this criminal circuit. While it doesn't glamorise theft or criminal activity, Marcos tells Juan of the misconception behind what it is they do. There is a consistent referring to how crooks are different to thieves, something that walks along the lines of theft and masterminding a con being an art-form in which it takes a certain amount of skill and acting in pulling off that sort of robbery. I believe this to be comparable to a 'crook' mentality, in which charging in with guns blazing and getting away with money whilst leaving a room of corpses is the alternative. Marcos argues that being a thief is not the same as being a crook and that there are other terms for thieves whereas a criminal is just a criminal.As the narrative draws to a close and certain revelations took place, I was amazed at how my own emotions had been twisted and manipulated. What at first seemed like bizarre coincidences or acts of basic stupidity perhaps propelled by a bad script were, in fact, planned actions designed to lull both us and certain characters in. There is a punch to Nine Queens, a gritty realism and a definite 'look' delivered on top of a neat little narrative that I think works really well. It even inspired the Americans to remake it in 2004.