11 Excellent Movies You Probably Haven’t Seen
5. The Spanish Prisoner
In the end, the employee is the one who is caught in the trap. David Mamet directs Steve Martin, Ben Gazzara and Campbell Scott in this corporate espionage tale with a twist.
The movie takes its title from a con that dates back to the 16th century. The Spanish Prisoner trick involves a conman informing a mark that a very rich person has been imprisoned in Spain.
For added detail, the mark is often told the imprisoned person is a long lost relative who has been trying to get in contact.
The conman explains that the prisoner requires a large amount of money before he can be released from the prison and is unable to access his own funds from inside. The mark is assured that he will be generously rewarded once the prisoner is released and is sometimes offered the hand of a beautiful woman said to be the prisoner’s daughter.
After handing over the money, the mark is told that further problems have arisen and more money is needed. The con artist will then attempt to extract as much money as possible until the mark grows suspicious.
