This thoroughly engaging and endearing film is as much of a swindle as the plot itself, stealthily stealing your concentration and your affection even as it cheats you of a credible plot.
Nine Queens (2002)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:91
Fresh:84
Rotten:7
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Deliciously twist-filled, Nine Queens is a clever and satisfying crime caper.
Theatrical Release:Apr 19, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $1,078,919
Synopsis:
"Nine Queens" is the story of two small-time swindlers, Juan (Gastón Pauls) and Marcos (Ricardo Darin), who team up after meeting in a convenience store and become involved in a half million dollar...
"Nine Queens" is the story of two small-time swindlers, Juan (Gastón Pauls) and Marcos (Ricardo Darin), who team up after meeting in a convenience store and become involved in a half million dollar deal.
Early one morning, Marcos observes Juan successfully pulling off a bill-changing scam on a cashier, and then getting caught as he attempts to pull the same trick on the next shift. Marcos steps in, claiming to be a policeman, and drags Juan out of the store. Once they are back on the street, Marcos reveals himself to be a fellow swindler with a much higher stakes game in mind, and invites Juan to be his partner in crime.
Juan is skeptical at first, but agrees to work with Marcos after he impresses him with a few sophisticated cons. A once-in-a-lifetime scheme then seemingly falls in their laps -- an old time con-man enlists Juan and Marcos to sell a forged set of extremely valuable rare stamps, The Nine Queens. The tricky negotiations that ensue bring into the picture a cast of suspicious characters including Marcos' beautiful sister Valeria (Leticia Bredice), their innocent younger brother Federico (Tomás Fonzi) who idolizes Marcos, and a slew of thieves, conmen, and pickpockets.
As the deceptions and duplicity mount, it becomes more and more difficult to figure out who is conning whom, and we begin to ask ourselves, "Who isn't a thief?" -- © Sony Picture Classics
Starring: Gaston Pauls, Ricardo Darin, Leticia Bredice, Tomas Fonzi
Starring: Gaston Pauls, Ricardo Darin, Leticia Bredice, Tomas Fonzi, Graciela Tenembaun
Director: Fabian Bielinsky
Director: Fabian Bielinsky
Screenwriter: Fabian Bielinsky
Producer: Pablo Bossi
Composer: Cesar Lerner
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Get This Movie
Reviews for Nine Queens
Argentine writer-director Fabian Bielinsky seems to be a criminal mastermind. Luckily for society, Bielinsky uses his powers for good.
So engaging, so entertaining is this Mametian feast of con games and double-crosses that the subtitles seem to disappear and the reel change marks may as well not exist.
The laughs are dark, the puzzle steadily more engrossing and the surprises, just like Heist, are doozies, up to the finale.
Bielinsky does good work laying the groundwork for doubt, but as the mounting obstacles to the handoff of the stamps become less and less believable, we can sense him straying ever farther from a sensible and satisfying resolution.
The film sort of winks at you to see if you can follow all the hustles...
An incredibly clever and superbly paced caper filled with scams within scams within scams.
If you can wrap your mind around one unlikely condition, the picture provides unalloyed pleasure for connoisseurs of cinematic con artists.
Multiple layers of deceit will lead you down several paths, and give you no sure conclusion until the end.
Driven by a plot that's so tightly wound, we cannot look away for wanting to know what will happen next and who is double-crossing whom.
As clever as a firkin full of simians and as stylish as they come, writer-director Fabian Bielensky has fashioned what may just be at the top of the list of con movies.
There's a lot of honour-among- thieves squabbling between Juan and Marcos, both of whom have excellent motivation to distrust the other, but the performances complement each other beautifully.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Nine Queens at Rotten Tomatoes
- Nine Queens at IGN
- Nine Queens at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



