House of Games (1987)
Starring Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, Mike Nussbaum, J.T. Walsh, Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, Meshach Taylor, Lilia Skala, Steven Goldstein, Jack Wallace, John Pritchett
IHBM7Good
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.
My review · Reviewed 07/29/2020
Overall this movie was a fine effort by a young David Mamet. There was some awkward dialog at different points but I think the overall story more than made up for those moments. While some may think that the movie is about con men I think the last scene cements the fact that the film was about a woman who was lost only to find herself after a series of odd events. The con men are all excellent (I miss Ricky Jay!) but Lindsay Crouse left something to be desired.
This film reminded me of Mamet's The Spanish Prisoner, although I preferred that movie over this one even though it also suffered from some shoddy delivery.