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House of Games
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House of Games is David Mamet's 1987 motion picture directorial debut. Mamet authored the screenplay, from a story he devised with Jonathan Katz. The film's cast includes Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, Ricky Jay, and J.T. Walsh.
Plot
Margaret Ford (Crouse) is a psychologist, among the most preeminent in her field. She has just published a book, Driven: Compulsion and Obsession in Everyday Life, which has made her financially well-off. One day, she is in a session with a patient, Billy Hahn, who informs her that his life is in danger. He owes several thousand dollars to a criminal figure -- money he doesn't have -- and if he doesn't pay, he will be killed. Margaret visits the titular haunt and confronts the creditor, Mike (Mantegna), a con artist. Mike agrees to forgive the debt if Margaret accompanies him to a high-stakes poker game as his girlfriend, using her to help identify the tells of his poker rivals. This, Margaret discovers, is an elaborate ruse. But, her interest is piqued by the enigmatic Mike and his world, and a subsequent dalliance with the man takes on dangerous, life-threatening dimensions.
Themes, Reaction
Mamet's stage output had long explored means of
deception, especially amongst the dregs of society. His transition to
celluloid was met with wide acclaim by both critics and
film festival audiences. The kudos the film garnered, coupled with Mamet's screenplay for the summer hit
The Untouchables, allowed him to establish something of a power base in
Hollywood. Drawing much of the praise was the film's stylized
dialogue, the
auteur's trademark Mametspeak seeming to act as a character itself. The film's
plot twists were also praised for their ingenuity and invention; it is said by many fans of the film that first-time viewers should approach the film with as little prior knowledge as possible.
The film is among many titles mentioned among Roger Ebert's "The Great Movies" (see Great Films).
Of note: Filmed in
Seattle, though the screenplay makes allusions to Mamet's native
Chicago.
