The Spanish Prisoner

The plot of The Spanish Prisoner is so convoluted and intricate that is is almost impossible to give an accurate impression of what is happening. The viewer feels just as confused as the main character does. His name is Joe Ross, a young scientist, who has just made an important invention. Now he fears that his company will not give him his due. After a trip to a Caribbean island where the managing director avoids all talk about a bonus he expresses his suspicion to Jimmy Dell, a wealthy businessman, he has become acquainted with on the island. Jimmy offers to help him, but can Joe trust him? Who can he trust?

The plot is like a Chinese box. Nothing is as it seems, and nobody is what they seem. It is a pity that David Mamet has written such a stylized dialogue, in which every word is significant. This is too much like theatre, too little like cinema.