House of Games (1987)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lady D

  
  Cheesy, dated and more of a film made for tv, yet, there was something quite interesting about this film, that left me enjoying it.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Lindsay Crouse is an eminent psychologist who is desperate for adventure. One day she'll meet Joe Mantegna's character, a swindler that will provide her a few tricks to reach a little excitement in her life. There will be, of course, a few bumps on their way. A tight and… More
  Lindsay Crouse is an eminent psychologist who is desperate for adventure. One day she'll meet Joe Mantegna's character, a swindler that will provide her a few tricks to reach a little excitement in her life. There will be, of course, a few bumps on their way. A tight and thoughtful writing and direction along with Juan Ruiz Anchia's stylish photographic work, construct a rich and atmospheric hitchcockian tour de force with no room for gratuitousness, not even in Mamet's notorious use of coarse words. David Mamet's first and easily best film.

• Drew S

  
  Okay, so could Lindsay Crouse be any more awful? I know pretty much everyone hates her in this movie but Jesus Christ, that was a dull performance. I don't know if she was attempting sociopathy by way of emotional stunting, but what she really accomplished was sheer tedium. Joe… More
  Okay, so could Lindsay Crouse be any more awful? I know pretty much everyone hates her in this movie but Jesus Christ, that was a dull performance. I don't know if she was attempting sociopathy by way of emotional stunting, but what she really accomplished was sheer tedium. Joe Mantegna wasn't too much better, playing some unctuous cipher for the real star of the movie - the con. Mamet's a pretty damn good writer, lack of range and self-indulgent style notwithstanding, and here he has developed a screenplay that starts out riveting but becomes predictable and floppy. I had the entire half hour of the movie mapped out before it even started; how's that for a disappointing ending? I think we can blame Lindsay Crouse for that too. God, she was bad. But yeah, the first and most of the second act are this great psychological clash between a woman and a man, both of whom make their living working out the human brain in very different ways. The cons themselves are a lot of fun to watch...just not that last one because you know what's coming. I don't know if it's a product of the movie's age or just straight-out simplicity, but it was a bust. Not a bad movie per se, but the payoff was a mess.

• Ken S

  
  Superb Con film from David Mamet.

• Aaron N

  
  Mike: It's called a confidence game. Why? Because you give me your confidence? No. Because I give you mine. The directorial debut of playwright David Mamet. While in the same year he wrote the screenplay for The Untouchables, which seemed very un-Mamet, this film has all the… More
  Mike: It's called a confidence game. Why? Because you give me your confidence? No. Because I give you mine. The directorial debut of playwright David Mamet. While in the same year he wrote the screenplay for The Untouchables, which seemed very un-Mamet, this film has all the things that ring true for a work by Mamet. Namely the dialog. It is all very snappy, to the point without saying the exact meaning of things, quippy without sounding to out of place or over the heads of most. The story is similar to other Mamet thrillers, it involves con men who are good at what they do, speak with ease, and curse up a storm. Joe Mantegna stars as an ace con man, who is admired by a Psychotherapist coming off a bestselling book about addiction. Soon she is emersed in the world the world of these con men. Mike: What I'm talking about comes down to a more basic philosophical principle: Don't trust nobody. If you've seen enough con men movies, then the story is not to surprising, but what works is the noir like style, the dialog rhythms, and the actors capability of handling that dialog. Prison Ward Patient: Y'know, I know there are people who are normal. Dr. Margaret Ford: Are there? Patient: Yes, there are. But... Dr. Margaret Ford: But what? Patient: But I don't know what those people do.

• Michael S

  
  Mamet's best work to date as a director.

• Lafe F

  
  Superb con-game movie. Lindsay Crouse is mesmerizing to watch as the con-woman learning from the seasoned con-man Joe Mantegna. It's an engaging plot with some interesting developments. I was captivated throughout.

• Fascade F

  
  A real "pop corn muncher" of a movie...a true classic that holds onto your attention long before you realize that you...have been conned...LOL! A psychologist assists a suicidal patient a wee bit too far before she realizes that she too, is in too deep. See this flick it is… More
  A real "pop corn muncher" of a movie...a true classic that holds onto your attention long before you realize that you...have been conned...LOL! A psychologist assists a suicidal patient a wee bit too far before she realizes that she too, is in too deep. See this flick it is an eye opening winner!

• Hal M

  
  Suspenseful, well-acted. A psychologist (Lindsay Crouse), who has almost no private life, is told by one of her new patients that he's in grave danger because he just incurred a $25,000 gambling debt he can't honor. She is induced to help him by confronting the man to whom… More
  Suspenseful, well-acted. A psychologist (Lindsay Crouse), who has almost no private life, is told by one of her new patients that he's in grave danger because he just incurred a $25,000 gambling debt he can't honor. She is induced to help him by confronting the man to whom the debt is owned (Mike, played by Joe Mantegna). Mike and his pals try to con her out of some money but with her psychological expertise she detects it, and tells them so. Rather than exposing them though she insists on becoming an observing silent partner to their scams. She also grows attracted to the slick Mike. What follows is a whole series of events with their own hard-to-guess logic, and we're continually left wondering "who's conning whom NOW?" Director co-writer Mamet is of course a playwright, and so this has a stagey feel to it...I would indeed like to see it adapted to the stage. This can be compared to The Sting for its cleverness, but there's a big difference in "feeling tone"--The Sting was rather light-hearted at times...we smile at some of the revelations. House of Games is resolutely a serious suspense film; we even sometimes fear it will take a very dark turn indeed.

• Alec B

  
  Whether or not you can see the big twist coming isn't the point in my opinion. In a con movie you can never take anything at face value. What I actually really liked was that even though I wasn't necessarily surprised by what happened, the scenes that follow it and the… More
  Whether or not you can see the big twist coming isn't the point in my opinion. In a con movie you can never take anything at face value. What I actually really liked was that even though I wasn't necessarily surprised by what happened, the scenes that follow it and the implications of the ending are what the movie is really about. Plus, I have always had a soft spot for Mamet's dialogue which always drives his movies.

• Joey N

  
  Was. not. into this. The first card sequence is rather spiffy though.

• Lauren D

  
  I tried watching this about 5 times without being able to watch more than 5 minutes because of the horrific acting. Once I finally got past that initially, and the plot got introduced, I managed to make my through and it wasn't that bad. The main actress was horrible, I honestly… More
  I tried watching this about 5 times without being able to watch more than 5 minutes because of the horrific acting. Once I finally got past that initially, and the plot got introduced, I managed to make my through and it wasn't that bad. The main actress was horrible, I honestly don't remember the last time I saw acting that bad. Ugh. Anyway, Joe Mantegna, though I have no idea who he is, was alright. The plot, although extremely predictable, was fun to watch anyway.

• Dimitris S

  
  Sex machine.I'm not kidding,The finale provides some well-developed craft and intelligent behavior Mamet displayed once in his cinematic career so far.This particular moment of corruption and sadomasochist obsession is accurately opposed to the duo's passion with… More
  Sex machine.I'm not kidding,The finale provides some well-developed craft and intelligent behavior Mamet displayed once in his cinematic career so far.This particular moment of corruption and sadomasochist obsession is accurately opposed to the duo's passion with gambling.Brilliant overall.

Read all 13 featured audience ratings