Review of House of Games (1987) by Andrew C — 12 Dec 2007

A brilliant directorial debut from David Mamet, and another excellent release from Criterion. Mamet's film follows the relationship between a successful psychologist and a morally ambiguous con man. They meet in the 'House of Games' and she helps him tell another players poker read. I won't give much away about the story as it's best to sit down and watch it unravel but I can tell you that what you see is not always what it seems. You might pick the big big con by the end of the movie but the fun is in the way the movie gets to it's destination.

Excellent acting and a brilliant script as usual from Mamet. The only gripe I had with it is that it has dated a bit as those 80's outfits are simply too garish for me to look at for 101 odd minutes. There is also a bit of theatricality to some of the scenes as some of the dialogue is obviously coming from a playwright instead of a screenwriter.

Probably the best con film I have seen.