HOW do you improve on perfection? You don't, as first time feature filmmaker Gregory Jacobs learns with this American remake of the exhilarating Argentinean thriller Nine Queens (Nueve Reinas).

Remaining true to the spirit of the original, brilliantly conceived by Fabian Bielinsky, writer-director Jacobs transplants the story to Los Angeles. The new setting allows Jacobs to introduce additional elements to the story, including issues of class and race.

Veteran con man Richard Gaddis (John C Reilly) witnesses inexperienced hustler Rodrigo (Diego Luna) unsuccessfully trying to pull a money change scam on two casino waitresses. Posing as a cop, Richard escorts Rodrigo out of trouble and into an uneasy alliance. Richard temporarily needs a partner to help pull off a couple of swindles; Rodrigo's father has sizeable gambling debts and his son needs to make lots of money, fast.

The two men concoct an elaborate scheme to sell a forgery of the rare, one-of-a-kind 1878 Monroe Silver Certificate to Irish multi-millionaire William Hannigan (Peter Mullan). The wealthy antique currency collector has to leave America due to US tax concerns. So Hannigan hastily agrees to the sale at his luxury hotel where he is a VIP guest and Richard's sister Valerie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) works as the concierge. She hates her brother with a passion; he cheated her and their younger sibling Michael (Jonathan Tucker) out of their inheritance. Understandably, Valerie is far from pleased about Richard pulling one of his scams in her place of work.

As the deadline for the deal draws close, it becomes clear that Richard and Rodrigo have been keeping secrets from one another. Just who is conning who, and where does the truth end and bluff begin?

If you haven't seen Nine Queens, then Criminal is an affective, slow-burning thriller that keeps its cards close to its chest and reveals its trumps in a daring final flourish.

Reilly is compelling as ever, his old timer tinged with world-weariness, and Luna's nervous protege has the right combination of naivete and ambition. Mullan is suitably menacing but Gyllenhaal is badly miscast, playing her part with too little vulnerability and emotion.

For fans of Bielinsky's film, myself included, Criminal fails to thrill because we already know the surprises in advance, and so much of the impact relies on the serpentine twists. Moreover, Jacobs cannot replicate the nervous handheld camerawork of Nine Queens, which generates the edge-of-seat tension.

Running almost 30 minutes shorter than its Argentinian predecessor, Criminal is a passable imitation.

Rating 6/10