House of Games - 1987
Updated: Oct 4, 2022
Viewing David Mamet's debut feature, House of Games, as a grown up takes some of the fun out of it. This is because it postures itself at the outset like a seedy noir, but at it its core this is a total lark full of ruses, sleights of hand, and misdirection.
Interestingly enough, there are really two differing strands converging in the middle on this one. Of course, at the macro level, this belongs to the long line of con man flicks which hold an indelible place in film history. Mamet is even smart enough to structure his plot with several short games building to a whopper of a long con.
But I'm not really speaking of all that. What I mean to say is that I was never UNaware of the way this film was shot, produced, and rendered onscreen. The very sparse backing score, rather wooden performances, and steadishot, paint-by-numbers direction left a kind of lingering impression on me. I suspect that lovers of this pic would find it akin to the brilliant, winking, faux-seriousness of something like Mulholland Driveor lesser Lynchian fare. Detractors, however, would say it plays a bit more like...a Matlock episode. To be honest, I slid back and forth between the two throughout my viewing, but was left with a little TOO much of the latter.
On the other hand, the man knows how to turn a phrase almost unlike any other. So these same, almost marionette dolls are firing out brilliant bits of dialogue or running circles around each other seeking for the upper hand. This kind of rapidfire, witty dialogue filled with interruptions and rhythmic inflections is, as we now know, characteristic of all "Mamet speak."
It's on full display in House of Games, along with his penchant for displaying characters' motivations in their speech. In a lesser writer's hands, this would all scan as a violation of "Show don't tell." But for Mamet, this is the lifeblood of his tales and what gives Games its unique flair. Plus, it just makes the whole thing a joy to quote again and again. As I said at the top, a delightful confection full of scheming and scamming.
"Thank you, sir. May I have another?"
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