JohnDoe
Bryn
BrentonHouse of Games (1987) - Footage Included
January 23rd 2007 01:46
House Of Games
DVD Cover
Starring:Joe Mantegna, Lindsay Crouse, Ricky Jay, J T Walsh, Lilia Skala, Mike Nussbaum, William H Macy
“It's called a confidence game. Why? Because you give me your confidence? No. Because I give you mine.” - Mike
Best known for the incendiary Glengarry Glen Ross, Pulitzer prize winning Writer/Director David Mamet (Spartan, Heist, The Spanish Prisoner, State and Main, Edmond) is worshipped for his work in the theatre. It is what his characters don’t say that sets him apart from his contemporaries, between the lines lurks genius.
House of Games is a battle of wits and ingenuity that marked his cinematic directorial debut. A melodrama that explores the psychology of the con, the art of deception and illusion. In typical Mamet fashion the labyrinthian script forces the audience to reassess everything they see and keeps you guessing till the very end.
Nothing is as it seems when best selling author Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse), a talented but bored psychiatrist decides to help a patient indebted to bad men. Naively she enters the world of the grifter, fast talking sharks who bleed their mark for every penny they have.
Mike (Joe Mantagna) is a charming and duplicitous enigma, drawing Margaret into his web, she is fascinated from a psychological stand point and wants to learn about the darker side of human nature, in theory to become better at her job.
“How would you feel if someone were to do a study of the confidence game?” - Margaret
Mike teaches her all about the confidence game with lessons in reading the subtlety of body language and conversational manipulation.
“You can't bluff someone who's not paying attention.” – Mike
Strong willed and intelligent, but way out of her depth, what begins as simple professional curiosity spirals into a cat and mouse mind game where the stakes get higher and emotional attachment must be set aside in order to survive.
“What I'm talking about comes down to a more basic philosophical principle: Don't trust nobody.” - Mike
Have you got, um three kings?
With frightening aptitude, the script twists and turns, cascades with food for thought and challenges conventional wisdom. Like the dark bastard son of films like the Sting, a sense of fun still permeates but beneath the surface, mystery and ambiguity deliver refreshing surprises.
Calling attention to itself and operating in the same contrived world where the players exist. The film is like a poker game that gets out of hand, the audience is addicted to every new turn of the cards and before you know it you are too far in to retire without losing your shirt.
Economically shot with a smoke and mirrors atmosphere. Ably supported by an appropriate moody jazz score and deliberately paced performances that deliver the rhythmic dialogue as if the words were lyrics to a song. (Mamet is famous for rehearsing his actors with a metronome to get there cadence down.)
David Mamet’s real life wife at the time, actress Lindsay Crouse (The Insider, the Arrival) makes Margaret one of the great modern female characters, a complex contradiction, she plays vulnerability and strength with equal commitment.
Joe Mantegna (Searching For Bobby Fischer, Fat Tony in The Simpsons, Bugsy) is an unsung hero of mine, he always delivers faultless performances and catches you off guard with his ability to go from malicious to sympathetic in the blink of an eye.
John Doe loves this type of film, unpredictable, clever and willing to follow through on its promises. I only hope I haven’t ruined to much of the story with my synopsis and recommend it to those who are looking to engage their minds in entertainment that puts the microscope up to human nature and moral corruption in modern society.
Keep an eye out for real life slight of hand master Ricky Jay who works his magic onscreen.
The DVD:
Transfer: Widescreen/ Dolby Digital 2.0
Extras: Trailer
I couldn’t find any clips for the film, so instead have a giggle at multi-talented Joe Mantegna voicing Fat Tony in this Simpsons salute to the Sopranos.
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I loved the unfolding of this confidence trick when I first saw it, of course it doesn't quite work the same way on a second viewing, but still very enjoyable for the performances.
JD, have you seen the brilliant Music of Chance with James Spader and Mandy Patenkin?
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I was hoping there was another Mamet fan around and behold you are my savior......State and Main is the one where a film crew invade small town USA........If you haven't seen it yet Mamet's Spartan is a quality espionage thriller....
I loved Music of Chance, though I have only seen it once and havent been able to get my hands on it since it was at cinemas....Mandy (Iago Montoya) Potemkin is gold.... thanks for reminding me of that one, off to amazon I go, really want to see it again now..
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Pet Cemetary was OK, much better than the film, but thats kind of a redundant statement.
The film and the novel of Christine entertain me immensly.....
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