Film Review: House of Games (1987)

(source: tmdb.org)

David Mamet is considered to be among the greatest American playwrights of our time. His talents also found their way to Hollywood, where his screenplays resulted in some remarkable, although not always successful films. Mamet has also proven himself as a director, starting with his directorial debut, 1987 thriller House of Games, often considered one of the finer films of its time.

Protagonist, played by Lindsay Crouse, is Dr. Margaret “Maggie” Ford, psychiatrist whose career is successful and who recently published best-selling book. Despite that, she feels dissatisfied with her life, often doubting whether her work can truly help her patients. One of those patients is Billy Hahn (played by Steven Goldstein), young man who threatens suicide over gambling debt he can’t pay to local gangster. Dr. Ford decides to help him and goes to a bar in troublesome part of the city to confront the gangster. There she finds Mike Mancuso (played by Joe Mantengna), man who seems much less intimidating then expected and who offers to forgive Billy Hahn’s debt in exchange for Dr. Ford helping him during high stakes poker game. Dr. Ford agrees before realising that the poker game was nothing other than elaborate confidence scheme designed to deprive her of large amount of money. Despite that, she asks Mike and his friends to allow her to tag along and show her various confidence tricks that she would later describe in her book. Mike agrees and Dr. Ford soon takes part in some schemes and even has sex with him. The largest scam she takes part in it, however, ends in disaster that could threaten Ford’s career and life.

“Write what you know” is an advice apparently taken by Mamet while creating this film. Mamet’s script was in many ways inspired by his experiences as a poker player, while Mamet’s old friend, famous magician Ricky Jay (who appears in the film playing one of the con men) has designed some of the scams based on magician’s tricks. Mamet apparently learned a thing or two while writing screenplays for Hollywood directors, so as a director he shows steady hand. While some critics called his direction “flat”, it is quite adequate for this kind of films. Mamet puts both cinematography by Juan Ruiz Anchia and Seattle locations to good use and, at least for the most parts, manages to hide the fact that House of Games was made with rather modest budget.

The biggest asset of the film is, unsurprisingly, Mamet’s script. Like in many Mamet’s works, dialogue is inventive, sometimes unusual but always believable. Characters are well-drawn and the plot inverts some of conventions of film noir, genre that Mamet obviously took as an inspiration. It is female, rather than male character, that is drawn from safe “normal” life into the world of excitement, adventure and crime. Mamet also has very good cast at his disposal. Lindsay Crouse, who was his wife at the time, is good in her role, although some critics called her performance too cold; nevertheless transformation of the main character is presented with a lot of subtlety. Mamet’s old friend Joe Mantegna is much livelier in the role of a charming con man who manages to seduce his victim despite not putting a lot of effort into hiding what he really is.

While very good film, House of Games is far from perfect. Perhaps the audience today is much more cynical and jaded, and the big twist that comes in the second part of the film will be relatively easy to predict. The plot resolves somewhat too conveniently and the impression is saved only by semi-twist at the end that allows audience to look one of the characters in completely different light. Another issue might be the lack of humour, something audience is conditioned to expect in films dealing with confidence men. Yet, despite those minor flaws, House of Games still represented a very first entry in directorial career of celebrated playwright, and many of its qualities can be appreciated by the audience today.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)