House of Games [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: David Mamet David Mamet

Overview

In his directorial debut, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet creates a stylish cinematic puzzle of games within games, as con men are joined by a psychologist in creating the perfect caper. Dr. Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse), the writer of psychological self-help books, meets Mike (Joe Mantegna) as she attempts to help a patient who owes heavy gambling debts. When she herself is the victim of a con, she becomes intrigued by the psychological drama of the con game and joins in a complicated scam involving a suitcase of cash. Mamet directs his extremely complicated plot with skill and complete control until it is impossible to tell who is the con and who is the victim. The suspense builds to an amazing surprise ending which is both reasonable and believable but completely unpredictable. Crouse and Mantegna are outstanding as are all the supporting performances. Mamet and his cinematographer Juan Ruiz-Anchia create a visually stunning, compelling film that does justice to Mamet's superbly written screenplay

Product Details

Release Date:	05/14/2019
UPC:	0715515229616
Original Release:	1987
Rating:	R
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Language:	English
Time:	1:42:00
Sales rank:	10,574

Special Features

High-Definition digital transfer, supervised by Director of Photography Juan Ruiz Anchia, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Audio Commentary from 2007 featuring Director David Mamet and consultant and actor Ricky Jay Interviews with actors Linday Crouse and Joe Mantegna from 2007 David Mamet on: "House of Games," a short documentary shot on location during the film's preparation and production Detail from a storyboard of a short con suggested by Jay Trailer Plus: An essay by critic Kent Jones and excerpts from Mamet's introduction to the published Screenplay

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lindsay Crouse	Margaret Ford
Joe Mantegna	Mike
Mike Nussbaum	Joey
Lilia Skala	Dr. Littauer
Steve Goldstein	Billy Hahn
J.T. Walsh	Businessman,Man in Restaurant
Willo Hausman	Girl with Book
Karen Kohlhaas	Prison Ward Patient
Jack Wallace	Bartender, `House of Games'
Ricky Jay	George/Vegas Man
Ben Blakeman	Bartender, `Charlie's Tavern'
Scott Zigler	Western Union Clerk
W.H. Macy	Sgt. Moran
John Pritchett	Hotel Desk Clerk
Meshach Taylor	Mr. Dean
Johnny S.B. Willis	Hotel Doorman
Josh Conescu	Garage Attendant
Julie Mendenhall	Late Student
Rachel Cline	Student
Patricia Wolff	Patient, Dr. Ford's Office
Roberta Maguire	Restaurant Hostess
Jaqueline de la Chaume	Woman with Lighter
G. Roy Levin	Poker Player
Bob Lumbra	Poker Player
Andy Potok	Poker Player
Allen Soule	Poker Player
Alaric Jans	Composer

Technical Credits

David Mamet

David Mamet	Director,Screenwriter
Michael Hausman	Producer
Robert Willard	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

A compelling psychological drama with Hitchcockian overtones, playwright David Mamet's acclaimed cinematic debut takes voyeuristic delight in exploring the seedy, dangerous world of professional gamblers and confidence men. Lindsay Crouse (Mamet's wife at the time) plays a famous psychiatrist who initially penetrates this world with the idea of helping a victimized patient, only to find herself mesmerized by articulate, sophisticated grifter Joe Mantegna and his fellow con artists. Eventually drawn into their games and addicted to the illicit thrill that accompanies a successful scam, she becomes a willing accomplice to the manipulative Mantegna, who’s playing for higher stakes than she imagines. Director Mamet draws both his protagonist and his audience into society’s dark underbelly, where crafty denizens ply their illegal trade with astonishing skill and attention to detail. Crouse is appropriately cool as the practiced professional who represses her amoral impulses, while Mantegna oozes oily charm as the seductive sharper who engages her in a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game. These fine actors, working from Mamet’s elaborately plotted and elegantly dialogued script, imbue House of Games with a credibility -- vital to Mamet’s premise -- that less talented performers could never have achieved. The new DVD release includes the 1987 film’s original theatrical trailer.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

David Mamet's dialogue has a particular rhythm. His best pieces, when delivered properly, are like music. House of Games is one of his best screenplays and allows Joe Mantegna and Lindsay Crouse the opportunity to duet for 90 minutes. Their performances bring to life a very psychologically complex relationship. There is much going on in the minds of these characters, and their performances maintain a perfect balance between revealing themselves to each other and the audience. In one scene, Mike teaches Margaret, as well as the audience, about "tells." Tells are physical actions which "tell" an observant person what the person performing the action is thinking. After demonstrating some examples, Mike takes Margaret's hand and places his fingertips against hers and tells her to, in her mind, choose a finger. He shows her what finger she was thinking of, and she informs him he was correct. He then asks her if she wants to sleep with him. The audience realizes that Mike, a master at reading tells, already knows the answer. But the real question is whether or not Margaret has learned enough to manipulate Mike. Slick, seductive, and compulsively watchable, House of Games succeeds in getting the audience inside the minds of con artists, but not until they have been put through a psychological and emotional wringer.

All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert