Nine Queens neatly meets the twin demands of any con-man caper. It keeps us amused as a scam unfolds and leaves us satisfied when its secrets are revealed.

The chief players here are Ricardo Darin as a practiced street hustler and Gaston Pauls as the son of another con man. Because he needs a ton of dough fast to help out his dad, Pauls joins up with Darin and swiftly becomes part of a scheme that could net the pair $450,000: selling some rare old German postage stamps known as the "Nine Queens" to a shady financial wizard and philatelist who is about to be deported.

Set mostly in the Buenos Aires Hilton, Nine Queens sustains an illusion of improvisation despite action that is intricately thought-out and cunningly staged - and does so far better than the self-conscious and opulent The Sting or David Mamet's stilted con-man comedy-dramas (House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner). Its offhand style of sleight-of-hand is one key to its appeal.

The others are the performances. Darin has a ruthless efficiency that could be mistaken for suavity. He's a greedy corner-cutter by nature; the picture is at its most exhilarating when he recruits Pauls and casually reveals the petty tricks that make every moment of his life a dare. He's never more alive than when someone tries to call his bluff.

Pauls brings his seemingly juvenile character along more slowly than Darin does his, and follows a longer arc; like Edward Norton in his best trick roles, he makes an audience study his somewhat doughy and nondescript features for signs of burgeoning strength - or duplicity.

Director Fabian Bielinsky surrounds these two with performers who skillfully pull double duty. With briskness and veracity, they etch believable surface stories, explaining themselves as victims of Darin's double-dealings. They also suggest they have their own games going.

Leiticia Bredice heads the list as Darin's sister, a concierge at the Hilton where the stamp collector has been staying. She's furious at her brother for cheating her and another sibling out of their inheritance. Bredice bristles beautifully - you can see why Pauls falls in love with her.

Bielinsky stacks the pack with half a dozen other creative misfits or outcasts. The movie may be Nine Queens, but it slakes your thirst for surprises and thrills because of its Nine Jokers.

Nine Queens

Starring Ricardo Darin and Gaston Pauls

Directed by Fabian Bielinsky

Released by Sony Pictures Classics

Rated R (Language)

Running time 115 minutes (In Spanish with English subtitles)

SUN SCORE * * *