"Criminal" sticks Reilly front and center as an unlikeable con artist who takes on a young Hispanic protégé and together they fall into a scam involving the most valuable bill ever minted by the US Treasury Dept. An enjoyable but only par flick about scamming, the film becomes so convoluted and loaded up with sundry characters that it's a bit of a mess with a plethora of possible endings. It's impossible to tell who's scamming who and almost as impossible to care about any of the poorly developed characters. Nonetheless, for those interested in grifting flicks, "Criminal" should be worth a look. Don't expect to see much of Maggie Gyllenhaal who has a comparatively small part in the film. Other grifting flicks include: "The Grifters", "The House of Games", "The Spanish Prisoner", "Nine Queens", "The Prime Gig", and "Confidence". (B-)
