blanche-2 Crime is a 2003 film based on a foreign one, Nueve Reinas.Rodrigo (Diego Luna) is a young Mexican male who, while in a casino, tries the old screwing up the waitress so she gives the wrong change con, when he's spotted by Richard (John C. Reilly). He gets Richard out of the casino by claiming to be a cop.Richard no longer has a partner, so he offers to take on Rodrigo. Rodrigo has a little money but he needs more to pay his father's gambling debts.Richard has his own problems, namely, his sister (Maggie Gyllenhaal) whom Richard cheated, along with their brother, out of their part of their mother's estate. She's suing him.Richard is contacted by a businessman, once an associate of his, who wants help selling a forged treasury note to someone who needs to leave the country the next day due to his visa expiring. Another man intrudes on the deal, and Richard needs more money and asks Rodrigo to use his savings. John C. Reilly is a wonderful actor. Here, playing a crook through and through, a racist, an anti-Semite, a man who cons his own family, he's excellent, actually bringing humor to a character who is reprehensible. He was actually cast as Stanley Kowalski in the Natalie Richardson "Streetcar Named Desire," a casting I'll never understand, although I'm sure he was excellent, if the wrong type.Diego Luna is sweet and unassuming as Richard's partner, who seems out of his depth.I felt this film moved a little slowly and also, I have to admit that I'm tired of this type of plot. I saw it coming a mile away. It was somewhat fresh 40 years ago. No more.I love suspense, mystery, crime drama, etc., so I wonder how many of this type of movie I'll have to sit through over the next 30 years.However, it has entertainment value and good performances, and if you don't watch these films as much as I do, you may love it. Hope so.

florerito Once again, Hollywood making remakes they shouldn't. While the original film Nueve Reinas is excellent in every way, especially the performance of Darin and the original script, this is just a fine copy of something great in which they didn't add any extra value. Remakes are supposed to be better than the original, otherwise, don't do it at all!!I only give it a 4 because the Argentinian film is a 10. Don't watch this if you haven't, watch the original, and if you already had, please download Nueve Reinas and erase this from your brain.

merklekranz God awful David Mamet wannabe is so lame, it is truly a shame to see John C. Reilly involved with this giant pigeon droppings of a movie. Everything, and I mean everything about "Criminal" is totally contrived. The film actually is an insult to the audience's intelligence. Stupidity is piled upon stupidity, until an ending that absolutely confirms that essentially you have just wasted 87 minutes. Zero likable characters, zero believable characters, and a script that never should have happened, unless it's purpose was to leave the audience feeling frustrated, annoyed, insulted, and cheated. Definitely one to be avoided, unless you are a glutton for punishment. - MERK

pc95 What starts out initially as interesting quickly degenerates into a predictable and time-wasting exercise. By about 10 min into "Criminal", the movie appears to believe it's own crap. (spoilers) We know either/or both of the main leads are double-crossing - and since we know this, the movie loses any kind of appeal. The writing and story are the 2 main culprits for this, but the acting barely makes satisfactory in most cases. So there becomes no real emotional impact or buy-in - as we can perceive it all as trickery or at least suspect so. Without any honesty in the movie given the subject matter it becomes a waiting game for ending. The whole point of twists are that they need to be subtle enough to startle - this was as subtle as a Jet-Airplane Engine. If want to watch a better con movie, check out The Game or Matchstick Men.