There is a specific group of Hollywood actors who only appear in supporting roles, and whether the film is successful, their dependably idiosyncratic performances are memorable. Some have made the leap to leading roles (Kevin Spacey moved from remarkable supporting work in \Usual Suspects"" and ""Se7en"" to the gargantuan triumph that is ""American Beauty""), while others have continued to flourish within their supporting but pivotal character niche (Steve Buscemi). In ""Criminal,"" a modest but thoroughly engrossing con man flick, ubiquitous character actor John C. Reilly is finally given the chance to carry a movie-a task he fulfills with exquisite finesse.
""Criminal,"" a remake of the Argentine thriller ""Nine Queens,"" begins with slick L.A. con man Richard (Reilly) discovering novice Rodrigo (Diego Luna, the star of ""Y Tu Mama Tambien"" who isn't Che Guevara in ""Motorcycle Diaries"") in a casino, and shortly thereafter showing him the proverbial ropes. After cheating some people stylishly, a six-figure scam opportunity emerges in the hotel where Richard's cynical, acidic sister Valerie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) happens to work. Over the course of the day, as Rodrigo is educated by Richard, scams upon scams will be attempted, Australian billionaires will be swindled, and family secrets will be spilt as ""Criminal"" glides towards its impeccable, airtight conclusion.
Debuting writer-director Gregory Jacobs makes a flashy yet restrained, effortlessly cool con man flick with dialogue that feels naturalistically Mametian. In fact, it actually surpasses most of Mamet's directorial work (with the exception of the sublime ""House of Games""). While the writing in ""Criminal"" is not quite as fluid as that in Soderbergh's ""Ocean's 11"" remake, there are no standout clunkers (such as Gene Hackman's embarrassing utterance of ""that's cute... cuter than a Chinese baby"" in Mamet's underwhelming ""Heist""). It is, however, most reminiscent of P. T. Anderson's occasionally marvelous debut flick ""Hard Eight"" (where, coincidentally, Reilly played the novice). Thanks to the superb supporting cast, rounded out by a wonderfully contemptuous Gyllenhaal and a capably underplayed Luna, Jacobs's excursion into the genre is a bit routine and predictable but splendid nonetheless.
But the most effusive praise is reserved for Reilly, who absolutely rules the screen as the slick, sleazy, slimy, downright bastardly Richard. This con man isn't your wizened old hand (a la Philip Baker Hall in ""Hard Eight"") nor your na??ve small-timer (i.e. John Cusack in ""The Grifters""); he's a callous, coldly efficient smooth operator that includes stealing kindly old ladies' cars in his con man lesson plan. After a career of playing cuckolded husbands (""The Hours,"" ""The Good Girl,"" and ""Chicago"") and random supporting characters in Sean Penn movies (after subsequent roles in ""We're No Angels,"" ""Casualties of War,"" ""State of Grace,"" and ""Thin Red Line,"" Reilly quipped that audiences liked to order ""an entr??e of Sean Penn with a side of John C. Reilly""), Reilly revels in this showy role and relishes every minute of it. Even Dirk Diggler and Reed Rothchild would agree that Reilly's ""got the touch"" in ""Criminal,"" another exceedingly entertaining portrait of a con man.
