House of Games

1987

Dir: David Mamet

Absolutley one of the best con movies ever made. I won't divulge the plot becuase con movies should be approached with no spoilers. But the movie is not to be missed, in my mind.

My second time through this one, which allows me to pay attention to it in ways that one cannot on the first time. The movie is very well put together, as well as having an intricate story. Mamet's script is, of course, brilliant. His direction is also very nice, a decidedly noirish style, lots of long shadows and neon lights. The acting is good too, especially Joe Mantegna. Mamet cast his wife in the lead, and her performance in adequete (her character calls for coldness and distance, so she has no opportunity to flourish chops, I will admit). Watch for a very young William H. Macy in a bit part.

I love con movies, when done well. They are clever and keep the audience engaged intellectually. This one is very, very clever. And the entire Mamet corpus is essential viewing.

MAP