House of Games
| House of Games | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | David Mamet |
| Produced by | Michael Hausman |
| Written by | Jonathan Katz, David Mamet |
| Starring | Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, Mike Nussbaum, Lilia Skala J.T. Walsh |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures Corporation |
| Release date(s) | October 11 1987 |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
House of Games is David Mamet's 1987 motion picture directorial debut. Mamet wrote 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 psychiatrist, 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's in a session with Billy, a compulsive gambler 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 a bar called the House of Games and confronts Billy's creditor, Mike
(Joe Mantegna). After a brief conversation, Margaret sizes Mike up as a tough talker, but
not a violent gangster. 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 rival (Ricky Jay). Margaret is exhilarated at the chance to take part in Mike’s plan and, at one point, even
volunteers $6,000 of her own money in a bet because she’s “sure” Mike’s opponent is bluffing. Things go sour as the opponent not
only turns over the winning hand, but also brandishes a gun, demanding the $6,000 in winnings. When Margaret sees a drop of water
fall from the
Back in her normal routine, Margaret continues to think about her night at the House of Games. She heads back to the bar and meets up with Mike, proposing that she follow him around, learn the ins and outs of his world, and write a book on the experiences. Mike is skeptical but agrees. He takes her around, sharing knowledge and even showing her a short con. Her exhilaration continues – something that Mike picks up on. The pair end up going to a hotel room and making love.
On the way out of the hotel, Mike mentions that he has a role in another con that night. Margaret asks to tag along. The con
begins. Mike, his associate Joey, and the mark (J.T. Walsh) all happen to stumble upon a
briefcase of money that someone seemed to have accidentally left on the street before getting into a cab. With no clear decision
about what is ethical let alone who gets the money, all three men (and Margaret) rent a hotel room to deliberate on how to split
up the cash. (Mike quietly reveals that the $80,000 in cash is actually real, as it was borrowed from the mob and due back the
next day. The plan is to have the mark propose paying Mike and Joey in exchange for taking the briefcase, but then switch the
briefcase at the last minute.) The mark proposes as planned, but Margaret sees what no one else does – that the mark is actually
wearing a wire, meaning he’s with law enforcement. Margaret warns
Mike and Joey, telling them that she must not get caught. Mike and Joey scuffle with the cop/mark, and the cop/mark is killed
when his gun discharges in the brawl. Mike grabs the briefcase and makes a run for it with Joey and Margaret. Remarkably, even
with cops closing in on the hotel, the trio manage to steal a car and escape safely. But the happiness doesn’t last, however, as
all three see that the briefcase is nowhere to be found – having been lost sometime in the
hotel
After paying the money, Margaret finds herself in another session with Billy, then sees that Billy’s car is actually the escape vehicle “discovered” during the hotel getaway. Margaret puts the pieces together and realizes everything was a ruse with the end goal being to swindle her out of $80,000 – a goal that was successful. Feeling somewhat imbalanced because of the betrayal, Margaret takes Billy’s gun (which she took from him at the beginning of the film) and follows Mike to the airport. Once there, she puts on an act and coaxes Mike into a back corridor, where they are alone. There, Mike becomes conscious that Margaret knows the score. Margaret pulls out her gun and shoots Mike several times until he dies.
Later, we see that Margaret has gone on with her life (though as a changed woman), and is able to forgive herself for what happened.
Themes, Reaction
Mamet's stage output had long explored means of deception, especially amongst the dregs of society. It was filmed in Seattle, though the screenplay makes allusions to Mamet's native Chicago.
His transition to celluloid was met with wide acclaim by both critics and film festival audiences. The praise 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."
DVD
In August 2007, the Criterion Collection released a special edition of Mamet's film on DVD. Among the supplemental material included are an audio commentary with Mamet and Ricky Jay, new interviews with actors Lindsay Crouse and Joe Mantegna, and a short documentary shot on location during the film's production.[1]
Notes
External links
- House of Games at the Internet Movie Database
- House of Games review by Roger Ebert
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
