House of Games

1987 Directed by David Mamet

Nothing is as it seems.

A psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led by a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.

Lindsay Crouse Joe Mantegna Mike Nussbaum J.T. Walsh Ricky Jay William H. Macy Meshach Taylor Lilia Skala Steven Goldstein Jack Wallace John Pritchett

Alternative Titles

O Jogo de Emoções, Es begann mit einer Lüge, Jogo Fatal

drama crime mystery thriller

102 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Peter Labuza ★★★★ 7

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…
Review by Allison M. 🌱 ★★★★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.
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…
Review by Evan Popplestone ★★★★

David Mamet made his directorial debut with this neo-noir about a psychiatrist (Lindsay Crouse) who becomes increasingly involved with a confidence trickster (Joe Mantagena) to the point of willingly participating in the latter's elaborate scams.
While the acting is a bit over-theatrical at times (possibly as a hangover from Mamet's own background working on stage productions), it remains an engrossing thriller with some sly twists.
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.…
Review by ChrisCarr1 ★★★★ 1

Maybe Mamet should've let someone else direct instead of using this as his directorial debut. Maybe the movie isn't as slick as it thinks it is. Maybe Lindsay Crouse's performance is wooden to the point of self parody.
I don't care.
Give me Ricky Jay wielding a gun at a poker game. Give me Joe Mantegna conning William H. Macy at a Western Union using Mamet's dialogue. Give me endless shots of people smoking cigarettes in odd locations in the middle of the night. For the love of god, just make more conman movies.

Inject them into my veins as I drink scotch and make twenty dollars disappear from an envelope.

Recent reviews

Review by Burrows ★★★½

David Mamet's writing has a unique rhythm. His characters explain things and ask if they understand. Characters politely wait for their listeners to respond. Mamet's characters enunciate 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 a psychologist/counselor/author skilled at helping folks with her training in understanding human behaviour. But she's frustrated that she can't help more. She's hit the ceiling in terms of how to…
Review by boquintana ★½

terrible. evil ray romano and siri voice psychologist author were both horrible actors. the plot was annoying and stupid easy to figure out. the music sucked. pretty well shot though
Review by Charles Disney ★★★½

One you get past the weird Mamet affectations (eg all the women talking like robots), this is a fun, twisty thriller. Watching it a second time and knowing the ending is not nearly as much fun as the first time, however.
Review by B. McCall ★★★★

Such a smart, shape, well-written screenplay- story line & dialogue. Crouse & Mantegna are superb. If you think the acting is a bit stilted or mannered somehow, that's a Mamet trademark of sorts. This may be a Fassbinder influence.
The pacing and tone are both spot on for what Mamet is trying to pull off. We, the audience, are getting 'conned' as well, in a sense. And as we see portrayed in the film, the bigger the con the more time, patience, and skill is needed to weave that tangled web.
As it should be in any real psychological thriller, the twists and turns are here, both in and outside of the cons. One of Mamet's very best.
"...the mechanics of the…
Review by Nathan Velasquez ★★★★

This does not satisfy as much on second watch but the plotting is wonderful and the cinematography is very motivated.
Review by Evan Popplestone ★★★★

David Mamet made his directorial debut with this neo-noir about a psychiatrist (Lindsay Crouse) who becomes increasingly involved with a confidence trickster (Joe Mantagena) to the point of willingly participating in the latter's elaborate scams.
While the acting is a bit over-theatrical at times (possibly as a hangover from Mamet's own background working on stage productions), it remains an engrossing thriller with some sly twists.
Review by brb28 ★★★★½

Mm. Deeply, my kind, of thing. This is not an accurate depiction of “reality” – it’s a reflection pool, and in the oscillations there is truth. This truth is truthing harder than the real ever could. Yeah so if you’re not familiar, Mamet’s dialogue is hyper-stylized. You’ve never heard a human being talk like this. You're kind of reeling so you consume it as both writing and talking. I think he’s a pretty good director for the same reason. He makes something to think about, not just to be passively consumed. But also it’s entertainment. This one is about a shrink and a con man. Gave me a few new brain wrinkles.
Review by B ★★★★

There’s this effortless aura of chicness throughout. It’s like if someone turned the quote “you played yourself” into a movie.
Review by stanley_gucci ★★½

Pros: Cons
Cons: the short con, the long con