Review of House of Games (1987) by Aaron N — 20 Sep 2007
Mike: It's called a confidence game. Why? Because you give me your confidence? No. Because I give you mine.
The directorial debut of playwright David Mamet. While in the same year he wrote the screenplay for The Untouchables, which seemed very un-Mamet, this film has all the things that ring true for a work by Mamet. Namely the dialog.
It is all very snappy, to the point without saying the exact meaning of things, quippy without sounding to out of place or over the heads of most.
The story is similar to other Mamet thrillers, it involves con men who are good at what they do, speak with ease, and curse up a storm.
Joe Mantegna stars as an ace con man, who is admired by a Psychotherapist coming off a bestselling book about addiction. Soon she is emersed in the world the world of these con men.
Mike: What I'm talking about comes down to a more basic philosophical principle: Don't trust nobody.
If you've seen enough con men movies, then the story is not to surprising, but what works is the noir like style, the dialog rhythms, and the actors capability of handling that dialog.
Prison Ward Patient: Y'know, I know there are people who are normal.
Dr. Margaret Ford: Are there?
Patient: Yes, there are. But...
Dr. Margaret Ford: But what?
Patient: But I don't know what those people do.
This review of House of Games (1987) was written by Aaron N on 20 Sep 2007.
House of Games has generally received positive reviews.
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