Criminal (film)

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Criminal

Directed by	Gregory Jacobs
Produced by	George Clooney, Gregory Jacobs, Steven Soderbergh
Written by	Fabián Bielinsky (original film), Gregory Jacobs, Steven Soderbergh (as Sam Lowry)
Starring	John C. Reilly, Diego Luna, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Music by	Alex Wurman
Distributed by	Warner Independent Pictures
Release date(s)	September 10, 2004
Running time	87 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Criminal is a 2004 film based upon the Argentinian film Nine Queens. Directed by Gregory Jacobs, it stars John C. Reilly, Diego Luna and Maggie Gyllenhaal and is a production of Section Eight, the production company of Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney.

Tagline: Ever get the feeling you're being played?

By the time you figure it out... you've been had.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

John C. Reilly plays Richard Gaddis, a small time crook with a penchant for con games. To hook marks he acts like a well-to-do businessman, dressing like one and driving a Mercedes-Benz, believing that one must look like a professional in order to con money out of the wealthy.

He joins forces with Rodrigo (Luna) after he sees the young man playing some minor con games in a casino-bar. When Rodrigo is caught, he acts the part of a vice officer to save him from being arrested. A partnership is born.

Although Rodrigo (who Richard renames Brian to 'Anglo him up') distrusts Richard greatly, he agrees to partner him on a gigantic scam, provided he gets a percentage of the money gained to help his ailing father, who is in trouble because of his gambling debts. Richard accepts, and they plan to sell a copy of the most valuable piece of currency in the United States to a rich collector who is in town, passing it off as the real thing.

Gyllenhaal plays Gaddis' sister, a concierge at a hotel, whom he pulls into the scam after he admits cheating on their inheritance. Richard is unaware of the fact that actually its Rodrigo who has played him in his own game. All the characters he meets in the movie are a part of game played on him, and it results in his arrest and him losing out on the inheritence he attempted to steal from his brother and sister. The plot unfolds at the end of the movie.