by Alison L. Roberts

Don't talk to strangers. When you travel, never agree to carry a package for someone you don't know. Money is the root of all evil. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

They say all clichés and sayings are based on at least a kernel of truth. If only we'd pay closer attention.

The Spanish Prisoner, both written and directed David Mamet (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Glengarry Glen Ross), focuses on these fundamental rules in a smart puzzle of a movie that demands the full attention of its viewers.

Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) is the lead inventor of a "process" that will make his employer vast amounts of money. He is an unassuming guy who takes it as a compliment when the new girl in the office (Rebecca Pidgeon) says that he lives up to his reputation as a "boy scout." While on a company-sponsored trip to the islands to sell the idea to investors, a stranger (Steve Martin) approaches Joe and offers him $1,000 in exchange for his camera/film. Joe hands the camera over as a "gift," slightly offended that the man felt he had to pay him for the "favor." (Yes. This is strange.) Later on he bumps into the man, who introduces himself as Jimmy Dell. Dell explains that one of Joe's shots incidentally included his friend's wife — who wasn't supposed be on the island at that time. The men share a laugh, drinks and some interesting conversation. As Joe is leaving for the airport, Jimmy asks him to deliver a package to his sister in New York City, and the game is set into play.

Scott's embodiment of the soft-spoken, idealistic and all-too-trusting inventor makes "Joe" stand out among the corporate sharks with whom he associates on a daily basis. His naiveté, when combined with his insecurity, makes him the perfect "mark." A standout performance by Martin, as Joe's newfound acquaintance, is seductive and essential to the plot's execution. Jimmy Dell is confident and worldly, things that Joe admires and, to a certain extent aspires to, despite his overriding "boy scout" instincts. An ensemble of seasoned supporting actors, including Pidgeon, Felicity Huffman, Ben Gazzara and Ricky Jay, handle Mamet's potentially challenging lines and scenarios with aplomb.

Significantly, the dialogue-driven film is David Mamet's understated take on what could be considered a classic Hitchcock premise: Take an ordinary man, put him in an extraordinary situation and see how he handles it. Once the carefully-laid plot is set into motion, it takes on a momentum of its own and is supported, almost from moment one by recurring visual cues and clues.

By taking everyday fears — that most brush off as simple neuroticism and paranoia — and transforming them into reality, The Spanish Prisoner forces its audience to look beyond the obvious in a most entertaining way.