TotalTelly.co.uk

Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV

House Of Games [1987]


RRP: £12.99
Our Price: £2.97 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

David Mamet's 1987 directorial debut House of Games is mesmerising study of control and seduction between two kinds of detached observers: a gambler who is also a con artist and a psychotherapist who is also an emerging pop-psych guru in the book market. The latter (played by Lindsay Crouse) meets the former (Joe Mantegna) when one of her clients is driven to despair from his debts to the card shark. Mantegna's character agrees to drop the IOUs in exchange for Crouse's attention at the seedy House of Games in Seattle, a mecca for conmen to talk shop and hustle unsuspecting customers.

The shrink gets so caught up in the arcane rules and world view of her guide over subsequent days that she observes--with no false rapture--various stings in progress inside and outside the club. Mamet's story finally becomes a fascinating study of two people protecting and extending their respective cosmologies the way rival predators fight for the same piece of turf. The psychological challenge is compelling; so is the stylised dialogue, with its pattern of pauses and hiccups and humming meter. Mostly shooting at night, Mamet also gave Seattle a different look from previous filmmakers, turning its familiar puddles into concentrations of liquid neon and poisonous noir. --Tom Keogh


Cult Classic
Review date: 2008-08-16 Rating: 8 out of 10

I'm not going to say too much about the plot of this film, as I think the Amazon summary does a pretty good job (plus it's the sort of film, where giving too much away will spoil your enjoyment)

Let's just say that if you enjoy films like The Sting, or the BBC TV series Hustle then you will probably also enjoy this.

The plot has plenty of twists (OK the ending itself is slightly predictable & personally I don't think it's that good an ending, but up until that point it keeps you thinking and is a really strong story)

At times the direction does feel a bit like you're watching a film of a stage play. But this maybe due to the films low budget and the majority of the cast (particularly Mantegna) give very good performances.

The film has aged slightly (some of the clothes and hair styles look a bit dated) but I really wouldn't let that put you off watching what is something of a cult classic.

Picture quality is probably as good as can be expected for a film of this age. The image isn't quite as sharp as modern films & there is an occasional sparkle, but there's no noticeable grain, reasonable black levels and colours are vivid.

The soundtrack is just stereo, but as this film is very dialogue based, it really doesn't matter much.

In summary, an interesting/very entertaining film, with a strong story & some good acting, but slightly too many flaws to be an all time classic.

I can strongly recommend renting it, if you haven't seen it before & given it's low price you may want to just go ahead and buy it without renting.


Similar Products

Reviews


Con games within con games, and nicely done
Review date: 2007-08-12 Rating: 8 out of 10

On one level, House of Games is a fascinating con game, complex and convoluted. On another level, it's a little cold-blooded. Whether you like it or not may depend on your tolerance for having the wool pulled over your eyes and your willingness to get involved with people you probably won't care for.

Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse) is a psychiatrist who decides to provide some direct assistance to a patient who has a big gambling debt. Late one night she goes to the House of Games, meets Mike (Joe Mantegna), who holds the markers and tries to talk him into doing the right thing. He eventually agrees, but only if she'll help him in a high stakes poker game. He wants her to keep an eye on a particular player's "tells," the give-away body language that will help Mike take the guy to the cleaners. She does...and finds herself in the world of cons within cons. We find ourselves in the same place. "The basic idea is this," Mike tells her later. "It's called a confidence game. Why...because you give me your confidence? No. Because I give you mine." She's fascinated and decides to write a book about how conning people works...the psychology of it. "Everybody gets something out of the transaction," Mike says one evening when he has demonstrated how to get a mark to give him money. "I gave that guy my confidence. I asked him for help. And what he gets...he feels that he's a good man." She's hooked despite herself, and soon finds herself drawn not only to Mike but to working with him to con a big take. But is Mike conning her? She wrote a best selling book, she's got money, and she obviously is drawn to the excitement and challenge. "I gave you my trust," Margaret says at one point. "Of course you gave me your trust," Mike replies. "That's what I do."

There'll be no spoilers here. The cleverness and the fun of the movie, and the surprise of the violence, depend on the cleverness and surprise of the plot twists. Let's just say that, as Mike puts it, "you shouldn't trust nobody."

This was the first movie David Mamet directed, and he did a fine job. While Lindsay Crouse may not be the most versatile of actresses, Joe Mantegna more than makes up for it with a performance that is tough, interesting and full of indirection. In small parts are a young William H. Macy and J. T. Walsh. Mike Nussbaum as Joey, an associate of Mike's in the con racket, and Ricky Jay as another, are both first-rate.

This is a movie that you have to stay with for awhile before it kicks in. The last 40 minutes, however, pack a punch. The DVD picture looks fine. There are no extras.

�You�re a bad pony and I�m not going to bet on you�
Review date: 2004-10-13 Rating: 8 out of 10

Directed and written by David Mamet (his directorial debut) it's a strange, moody film due mainly to the principle character's (Lindsay Crouse) stagnant emotionless performance (intended I hope).

She plays a celebrated psychologist that seem to wander through life in search of mystery and danger. She finds it in the shape of Joe Mantegna (who is brilliant as the mysterious con-man). Both characters have a magnetic quality about them.

You know there's a twist coming but don't know just where or how. There's a lot of talking and little action until the end. It's like this film has come out of the Edward Hopper painting 'Nighthawks'.......

The anticipated ending is a bit of a cop out really (to resort to violence when out-foxed that is).

You're left curiously empty.

Anamorphically Gone Wrong!!!
Review date: 2004-07-20 Rating: 2 out of 10

THIS RATING IS FOR THE TRANSFER MISTAKE. this dvd shows more of the frame than the US region1 and is anamorphic instead of letterboxed, but one catch-the anamorphic image we see is slightly out of ratio by width, it is stretched a bit, and is enough to be distracting... almost nailed this one for the price, toobad!

when is gonna get better, maybe next year MGM...

Was that it?
Review date: 2004-02-18 Rating: 4 out of 10

I heard it had a twist, and I like films that surprise me. So I went along for 100 minutes or so, waiting for a revelation that wasn't blindingly obvious. It never came.
Very well put together, but I'd say Mamet underestimates the amount of putting 2 & 2 together of which an audience is capable.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Mike Nussbaum
Lindsay Crouse
Lilia Skala
Joe Mantegna
J.T. Walsh

Creators:
Lindsay Crouse (Primary Contributor)
Joe Mantegna (Primary Contributor)
Juan Ruiz Anchía (Cinematographer)
David Mamet (Writer)
Trudy Ship (Editor)
Michael Hausman (Producer)
Jonathan Katz (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: MGM Entertainment
Manufacturer: MGM Entertainment
EAN: 5050070020144
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2004-02-02
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 98 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1987-10-11
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Greek (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: Polish (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Romanian (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)

Add to Cart

© 2006 Darren Hester, DesignsByDarren.com, Some Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional