Absolutely brilliant

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

When the film begins, Marcos observes a young grifter, Juan, in action. The older and more experienced con-man likes the younger guy's style and offers to teach him the trade. Through much of the day that follows, the pair do a variety of relatively low value cons--nickle and diming unsuspecting folks here and there. However, later in the day Marcos gets word from his sister that there is a dying many asking to see him at her hotel. When Marcos (with Juan in tow) arrives, you can tell that she hates Marcos--and has had lots of reason over the years to feel this way. Regardless, Marcos and Juan visit the sickly man and learn that he's also a con-man-- and was prepared to make a bit killing by selling a nasty mobster some stamps nicknamed 'the 9 queens'. But because the guy is so sick, he wants Marcos to pull off the con--selling the mobster some forged stamps for a fortune. What's next? A lot, believe me...but I don't want to spoil the surprise.This is an excellent swindle and sting sort of picture. It's not as good or stylish as "The Sting", though it is very well made--with some nice acting and a finale that really pays off well. I'd say more but I don't want to ruin the surprises...and there are plenty.

Marcos, an experienced con artist, takes on the young, inexperienced Juan as an apprentice for a day. A call from Marcos's estranged sister gives them a lead to a big opportunity - a forger has created an exact duplicate of a rare set of stamps, the Nine Queens, which he was trying to sell to a stamp collecting, exiled diplomat who will leave the country the next day. When Marcos comes into possession of the stamps, he engages Juan's help to pull off the con. But as the difficulty increases and obstacles keep falling in their way, it becomes more and more difficult to determine who, exactly, is conning who.Like any great con movie, Nueve Reinas is full of deception and lies. The fun part is unraveling who is conning who, and how they are going about it. Was the whole movie one big con, or does it only seem that way to the viewer? How much was planned beforehand, laying in wait for the two main characters to arrive?Any story about lies is also intimately concerned with trust. Juan trusts Marcos to show him the ropes. Marcos' sister tries to convince their younger brother not to trust him. Juan's father trusts him to stay out of trouble and to bail him out of prison.But in this tangle of truth and lies, who is telling the truth? And what are they getting out of it?Family, friends, and lovers? One of this movie's major themes is the importance of family. As Marcos and Juan become caught up in the con of a lifetime, they are also caught up in a web of family intrigues. Marcos, we learn, has taken his sister and younger brother to court in an attempt to gain all of the family inheritance. His sister hates him. His brother still likes him, and seems to trust him despite everything. But when Marcos convinces his sister to do the unthinkable so that he, Marcos, will get money - what does family mean then? And will his brother still be able to love him? Is Marcos really worthy of love?This theme is repeated throughout the film. One of the first cons Marcos pulls is to trick an old woman into thinking that he is her nephew. Juan is trying to make money to help his dad out of prison. To Marcos, it seems that family is a malleable concept meant to be used to your advantage. And yet we see how lonely Marcos is; his one friend (on this day) seems to be Juan. He has betrayed and abandoned everyone else.Do we see a bit of repentance at the end of the movie? Perhaps. Or maybe Marcos is just sad about all the money he didn't get.

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 great, action-thriller that keeps you guessing till the very end. Set in Argentina,two small time scam artists meet up for a day and swindle money from unsuspecting people. Then they must figure out how to sell counterfeited stamps of the most rare stamp collection in the world, the "Nine Queens". This movie is full of twists and turns in the plot, you never know what might happen next. The actors, Ricardo Darin, Gaston Pauls and Leticia Bredice do an excellent job in this movie. I would recommend this movie to all. Very well directed by Fabian Bielinsky.