Nine Queens 2002

The curtain opens on a convenience store at dawn, where Juan, a cunning con artist, effortlessly pulls off a scam, only to botch it seconds later when he tries to repeat the trick with the next shift. Unbeknownst to him, Marcos, an experienced grifter, has been watching the entire exchange from the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. With Juan momentarily stunned and off guard, Marcos seizes the opportunity to swoop in, masquerading as a police officer and whisking Juan away under the guise of a fake arrest. As they put some distance between themselves and the store, Marcos reveals his true identity: another con artist looking for an ally. Juan, desperate to raise $70,000 to secure a reduced sentence for his father, a fellow con man currently serving a 10-year term, begs Marcos to show him the ropes.

Marcos, though sympathetic, is unable to help Juan achieve his ambitious goal so quickly. Instead, they spend the day perfecting petty scams and pilfering small sums of cash from unsuspecting victims. As Juan earns Marcos’s trust and respect through their shared exploits, a rare opportunity falls into their laps: Sandler, a former business associate of Marcos, reaches out via Marcos’s sister Valeria, begging for his help in selling counterfeit copies of the legendary “Nine Queens” stamps. The catch? These are not just any stamps – they’re exact replicas of the original collection, which is currently held by Sandler’s widow sister, who refuses to part with it.

The tangled web of deceit and betrayal deepens as Valeria reveals that she only contacted Marcos because Sandler was creating a scene at her workplace, where she worked. It seems that Marcos has not only swindled Valeria out of her rightful share of their grandfather’s inheritance but also cheated her younger brother. The younger sibling, however, remains convinced that Marcos is blameless and that Valeria’s accusations are nothing more than a desperate attempt to shift the blame. As the case against Marcos hangs in the balance, Sandler’s proposal offers a tantalizing opportunity for Juan and Marcos to strike gold – or at least, get their hands on the valuable “Nine Queens” stamps.

In a desperate bid to smuggle his vast fortune out of the country before being deported, wealthy Spaniard Gandolfo sets his sights on acquiring a valuable collection of stamps. It is Marcos, once again, who finds himself at the center of the intrigue as Sandler informs him about a potential buyer. According to Sandler, he selected Marcos for this lucrative opportunity after falling ill in the hotel and stumbling upon Valeria - a chance encounter that reminded him of the enterprising Juan. In exchange for making the sale, Marcos demands a hefty 90% cut, leaving Gandolfo with little choice but to agree.

Gandolfo’s haste leads him to hastily verify the stamps’ authenticity with an expert, who gives them a clean bill of health. The Spanish millionaire is willing to part with $450,000 for the coveted collection, and the deal is set to go down that very evening. For Marcos, this is a life-changing opportunity - he had expected a paltry sum of $30,000 for the stamps, but now stands to retire comfortably on the proceeds.

However, as the hours tick by, a series of mishaps unfolds. The stamp expert, upon discovering that the stamps are actually forgeries, demands a share of the profits. Juan and Marcos’ attempt to salvage their scheme is further thwarted when the fake stamps are stolen by motorcycle-riding thieves who, unaware of their value, carelessly dispose of them in a river.

Determined to rescue the deal, Marcos turns to Sandler’s widowed sister, owner of the genuine stamps, who agrees to sell them for $250,000. Marcos proposes a plan where he will contribute $200,000 and ask Juan to cover the remaining $50,000. Juan is skeptical about the coincidence, but ultimately agrees as it would allow him to help his ailing father.

As they prepare to finalize the deal with Gandolfo at his hotel, however, the Spaniard’s demands take an unexpected turn. He now insists on purchasing the stamps only if Marcos’ sister Valeria - also a hotel employee - agrees to spend the night with him. Valeria, in turn, sets one final condition: that Marcos confesses to their younger brother about how he came into possession of his inheritance.

Gandolfo completes the purchase with a certified cashier’s check, but their jubilation is short-lived as the bank announces its closure the very next day, rendering the check worthless.

As the narrative reaches its climax, it becomes apparent that both Juan and Marcos have suffered a devastating blow. However, in a stunning twist, the true extent of their downfall is only fully revealed in the final scene. The unsuspecting Juan ventures into a warehouse, where he confronts Sandler and his sister Gandolfo, as well as Valeria, his intended bride-to-be. This unexpected gathering serves as the catalyst for a shocking revelation: it transpires that the elaborate scheme was designed to fleece Marcos out of a staggering $200,000 - a ruthless act of retribution for all the times he had betrayed his loved ones and business associates.