Popular reviews

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  Review by Peter Labuza ★★★★ 8

  Not sure if it's my own intelligence, but I want to believe that Mamet purposefully made the con (starting with their exit of the hotel) completely apparent to the audience. I think he tricks us into the first con in the poker table, and then teaches us the rules so when the second con really begins, we are on red alert to watch every tell. This put me in a rare spot for watching a con movie - instead of watching the what of the con ("What will happen next?") I observed the how of the con ("What phrases are they using? What are they telling and not telling? How are they using the environment around them to manufacture illusory…

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  Review by Rafael Jovine ★★★★ 13

  After making a name for himself with screenplays for a string of incredible films ranging from "The Untouchables" and "The Veredict", director David Mamet has decided to direct his first film, showing off not only his ability to create stories that enthrall, but that also manage to straddle between the cinematic and the theatrical, incorporating smooth camera work and great cinematography, with every character operating as if the streets or the rooms were one big staged space.

  A great thing about this script is that it reaches a point where you realize that it is a story of deception, a tale of distrust that even though you know what is going to happen next, it still holds your interest and…

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  Review by Mike D'Angelo ★★★★½ 1

  86/100

  The Dissolve review (for a Mamet piece). A watershed film for me at age 19, when I'd only been watching art films for a couple of years; can't be very objective about it now, though I've always had issues with Crouse's robotic performance and with pretty much every scene not directly related to the long con. Also, while this doesn't invalidate anything that happens (because why would Dr. Margaret Ford know these details? I didn't back then), the poker-game scam is hilarious from the perspective of a knowledgeable poker player, as (a) nobody would ever be permitted to leave the room in the middle of a hand during a high-stakes game, even if they were about to wet their…

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  Review by theriverjordan ★★★★ 9

  David Mamet’s “House of Games” is the possessor of a rare trait in the modern con artist genre: restraint. 

  Ever since Hollywood decided to start intermingling sleight of hand in thievery with magic, a great deal of the major heist flick entries have been riddled with razzle dazzle. 

  So, it’s a surprise then to find “House of Games” — which prides itself on its “dinosaur” age tricks, played by a bunch of guys who would retire, if only they knew what to do with themselves afterwards. 

  Legendary playwright Mamet’s first swing as a director makes “Games” one of the purest realizations of his unique style captured on film. While plenty of scenery-chewing actors have eaten up Mamet’s scripts in various…

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  Review by Allison M. 🌱 @ Tribeca 2022 ★★★★½ 2

  "Save your money, Joe. Semper fi."

  I was really impressed when I saw House of Games directed by David Mamet ten years ago: March, 2010. I just rewatched it at the Aero in Santa Monica, CA, as part of their noir film festival. Apparently, I bought the VERY last ticket, as I just happened to be at the Aero Sunday afternoon as well. I didn't necessarily think of the film as noir, but it worked for the programming.

  "Oh, babe, you're mucking up my timing."

  Due to people complaining about vegan alerts being spoilers and Letterboxd emailing me personally to say that spoilers violated their terms of service, please read the rest of the review on my personal website.

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  Review by Frances Meh ★★ 4

  THE TRAILER: “David Mamet. He’s got a feel for the way people talk...”

  THE WAY PEOPLE TALK IN THIS MOVIE: “She says, ‘It is a lirg. It is called a lirg.’ And so if we invert lirg, a lirg is a girl. And so She is the Animal.”

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  Review by Justin Peterson ★★★½ 2

  Criterion Collection Spine #399

  A compelling and twisty look into the world of con men, but for me there was a significant flaw that kept me from really loving David Mamet's directorial debut.

  "When you have done something unforgivable, I'll tell you exactly what to do. You forgive yourself."

  So do people actually consider the super wooden performances in this movie good? The acting from just about the entire cast felt so mechanical and overly rehearsed, that it became distracting at times. Which is a real shame because this is otherwise a great story about a psychiatrist who finds herself getting corrupted by some real crafty characters.

  "It's called a confidence game. Why? Because you give me your confidence? No.…

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  Review by Cormac 👑 ★★★★

  You can't bluff someone who's not paying attention.

  The long con to end all long cons. Check behind your shoulder, question every move twice, look back- and then look back again. Mamet fashions a veritable Rubik’s Cube of fast-moving intrigue, narrative machinations only one piece of the so-called puzzle as his universe folds and unfolds on itself before our very eyes. Sleight of hand as the end and beginning alike, so maybe don’t believe everything you’re told. What I'm talking about comes down to a more basic philosophical principle: Don't trust nobody. Secrets hidden in plain sight, confidence to bury bullshit. Method and obsession rebuked, for at least a moment or two. Maybe the real House of Games was the friends we made along the way.

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  Review by 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗧 𝗥𝗢𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ★★★★

  House of Games is much, much better than I ever remember it being.

  When I first watched this film years ago, I couldn't get past the stilted performances, particularly Lindsay Crouse. Even back then though, there were standout moments where everything clicked into gear and that's probably what always lingered in my mind before a rewatch.

  It's undeniable that some of the acting remains shoddy. It's as if Mamet hasn't quite got a handle on directing his own writing just yet, particularly in the early sequences where he's introducing the characters.

  But when the film is less reliant on pure conversation, and instead focuses on building to a tense crescendo - basically any time a con is on - there's moments of greatness.

  The obvious highlight is the poker sequence. Utterly preposterous but thrilling to watch unfold, with the brilliant Ricky Jay in typically sparkling form.

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  Review by comrade_yui ★★★★★ 2

  the art of power is someone deceiving you into believing that you have something that they do not.

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  Review by Tom Spearing ★★★½ 4

  The slightly iffy performances and “made-for-television” production values threatened to undermine this film from the outset, but happily, I otherwise found it to be a thoroughly absorbing and entertaining noirish thriller that contained some unexpected surprises. The story centres on a highly successful female psychiatrist who, feeling unchallenged and unfulfilled in her day-to-day life, inadvertently stumbles upon a group of lowly confidence tricksters and gets roped into their alluring and exciting world.

  The group of con men turn out to be a real motley crew who are, not surprisingly, very shady and hard to get a clear handle on. We only ever get properly introduced to their ringleader, Mike, who manages to charm our protagonist, Margaret, despite acting like the…

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  Review by Burrows ★★★½ 3

  David Mamet's writing has a unique rhythm. His characters explain things and ask one another if they understand. Characters politely wait for their listeners to respond. They never cut one another off. You can feel them enunciate the ellipsis written in the script. But if it doesn't sound natural, it at least sounds cool. Mamet's characters pronounce clearly, often speak with code words ('the thing', 'did he do the thing?') and are very perceptive. And these points generate a very Mamet-ian beat, which fleshes out the common hustles, lies, scams, and deals that Mamet's scripts often revolve around.

  HOUSE OF GAMES is a great directorial debut from Mamet, but it's his script that is the prize here. Lindsay Crouse is…