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CRIMINAL MINDS
Above right, stars John C Reilly.
criminal
ADMIRERS OF ARGENTINEAN THRILLER NINE QUEENS COULD HARDLY HAVE HOPED FOR A CLASSIER REMAKE THAN CRIMINAL, SAYS HAL HAYES. THE LATEST FILM FROM THE STEVEN SODERBERGH/GEORGE CLOONEY STABLE, IT TRANSFERS THE STORY TO LOS ANGELES AND CREATES A MORAL WORLD EVERY BIT AS MURKY AS THAT CITY’S FAMOUS SMOG.
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There are films about ordinary guys and girls - heart-warming stories about nice people struggling to make their way in a world which seems to be forever dealing them bad hands. Criminal isn’t one of those: there aren’t any nice people in it - not genuinely nice, anyway. But there are some very likeable and engaging ones.
As its name implies, Criminal is (mainly) about a guy who makes his living out of other people by fooling them as often and as comprehensively as possible. Criminals do this in a wide variety of ways, but the end result is always the same: he’s richer, you’re poorer.
Director Gregory Jacobs
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Directed by Gregory Jacobs, a highly experienced assistant director taking his first stint at the helm, and set over a 24-hour period in Los Angeles, the film is based on the Argentinean thriller Nine Queens (Nueve reinas). The title character - Richard Gaddis - is played by the wonderful John C Reilly, mainstay of many a recent movie and finally Oscar-nominated for Chicago (in which he sang the unforgettable ‘Mister Cellophane’). Gaddis is pretty good at what he does, and he doesn’t let little things like other people’s feelings get in the way.
“Richard is really a shark, someone who basically makes money on other people’s weaknesses,” says Reilly. “He feels that the normal rules don’t apply to him. He sees life as a series of opportunities and he’s the ultimate opportunist.
“It’s exciting to play someone who is so focused on what they want,” continues the actor. “You know exactly where he stands and, if you stand between him and the money, you’re going to be pushed out of the way. It’s invigorating to play a character who doesn’t have the normal worries of everyday life that you and I have - like moral issues or ethics.”
Early on in the film, Gaddis links up with a much younger crim, Rodrigo, played by Diego Luna of Y tu mama también, and begins to teach him some new ropes. But even this move is driven by self-interest. “Con artists are always looking for someone who appears innocent, who looks trustworthy,” explains Reilly. “He knows that he can use Rodrigo’s waif-like appearance to his advantage. It doesn’t matter what somebody looks like - you can use them if the scam is tailored to fit the people you’re scamming.”
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