House of Games (1987)
Country: US
Technical: col 102m
Director: David Mamet
Cast: Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, J. T. Walsh, William H. Macy
Synopsis:
A psychiatrist is led by concern for her client's welfare into contact with a highly skilled ring of con artists, signalling the beginning of a flirtation with danger. For where will Pandora-like curiosity and outraged professional pride lead her?
Review:
An elaborate thriller and its director's debut film, this is like a cross between Vertigo and The Sting but with a measured, impassive performance style which revealed a highly original talent at work. Its pleasures lie in its at once being a clinical exposé of the repertoire of the confidence trickster, and yet another spin on the propensity for deception of the film medium itself. It also introduced Mantegna and Crouse to appreciative audiences: their mechanical delivery and Mamet's theatrical script were a deliberate ploy to blur the line between reality and con.
Country: US
Technical: col 102m
Director: David Mamet
Cast: Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, J. T. Walsh, William H. Macy
Synopsis:
A psychiatrist is led by concern for her client's welfare into contact with a highly skilled ring of con artists, signalling the beginning of a flirtation with danger. For where will Pandora-like curiosity and outraged professional pride lead her?
Review:
An elaborate thriller and its director's debut film, this is like a cross between Vertigo and The Sting but with a measured, impassive performance style which revealed a highly original talent at work. Its pleasures lie in its at once being a clinical exposé of the repertoire of the confidence trickster, and yet another spin on the propensity for deception of the film medium itself. It also introduced Mantegna and Crouse to appreciative audiences: their mechanical delivery and Mamet's theatrical script were a deliberate ploy to blur the line between reality and con.
Country: US
Technical: col 102m
Director: David Mamet
Cast: Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, J. T. Walsh, William H. Macy
Synopsis:
A psychiatrist is led by concern for her client's welfare into contact with a highly skilled ring of con artists, signalling the beginning of a flirtation with danger. For where will Pandora-like curiosity and outraged professional pride lead her?
Review:
An elaborate thriller and its director's debut film, this is like a cross between Vertigo and The Sting but with a measured, impassive performance style which revealed a highly original talent at work. Its pleasures lie in its at once being a clinical exposé of the repertoire of the confidence trickster, and yet another spin on the propensity for deception of the film medium itself. It also introduced Mantegna and Crouse to appreciative audiences: their mechanical delivery and Mamet's theatrical script were a deliberate ploy to blur the line between reality and con.