TODAY'S NUGGET: The Spanish Prisoner (1997) - It's Like 3 Card Monty

[Quick Summary: After corporate employee designs a "process", he's conned into leaking it to a competitor...or so we think.]

Random thoughts about this script:

1. It is not about Spain nor is it a war movie.
2. Like another Mamet script, it's all about the con game.
3. I was all prepared to catch the surprise twist, honestly, I did...but Mamet conned me too.

More random thoughts:

1. This was good, but it wasn't my favorite Mamet script.
2. The reason the con is such a great framework is because the protagonist is a pro-active participant.
3. How do you not telegraph the twist? Everyone but the protagonist stays super-normal, so our eyes are drawn to him, not the wily antagonist.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Mamet is unusually adept at fooling my expectations.

Like three card monty, I always pick the wrong card.

The Spanish Prisoner (1997)
by David Mamet