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House of Games (1987)

R  |   |  Crime, Thriller  |  14 October 1987 (USA)
7.3
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Ratings: 7.3/10 from 16,014 users  
Reviews: 114 user | 62 critic

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.

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(screenplay), (story), 1 more credit »
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Title: House of Games (1987)

House of Games (1987) on IMDb 7.3/10

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Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Margaret Ford
...
Mike
...
Joey
...
Dr. Maria Littauer
...
The Businessman
Willo Hausman ...
Girl with Book
Karen Kohlhaas ...
Prison Ward Patient
Steven Goldstein ...
Billy Hahn
...
Bartender - House of Games
...
George / Vegas Man
G. Roy Levin ...
Poker Player
Bob Lumbra ...
Poker Player
Andy Potok ...
Poker Player
Allen Soule ...
Poker Player
Ben Blakeman ...
Bartender - Charlie's Tavern
Edit

Storyline

A famous psychologist, Margaret Ford, decides to try to help one of her patients get out of a gambling debt. She visits the bar where Mike, to whom the debt is owed, runs poker games. He convinces her to help him in a game: her assignment is to look for "tells", or give-away body language. What seems easy to her becomes much more complex. Written by John J. Magee <magee@helix.mgh.harvard.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Human nature is a sucker bet. See more »

Genres:

Crime | Thriller

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

14 October 1987 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Dom gry  »

Filming Locations:


Box Office

Gross:

$2,585,639 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The red and white Cadillac convertible used by the con artists in this film also appears in the car dealer's showcase room in David Mamet's The Spanish Prisoner (1997) See more »

Goofs

Margaret Ford takes her smokes from a package of unfiltered "stubby" Camels, but the actual cigarettes she uses are longer (probably Pall Malls) so they'll "read" better on screen. See more »

Quotes

Mike: Everybody gets something out of every transaction.
See more »


Soundtracks

This True Love Stopped For You (But Not For Me)
by Rokko Jans
Sung by June Shellene
See more »

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User Reviews

 
a con in itself
28 November 2010 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Celebrated playwright David Mamet's debut as a film director may be, with all its stark formality and icy pessimism, too cool and detached for its own good. There's no disputing his talent as a writer, but he does little to adapt the rhythm of his stage dialogue to the screen, and his story of confidence tricksters is a con in itself, leading viewers to expect perhaps more than they'll get. Once the plot begins to take shape it reveals some fascinating details about the ways in which professional swindlers take advantage of human nature, as a noted psychiatrist (Lindsay Crouse) learns after being seduced by the games people play (on themselves and each other). The script sets up a clever dilemma without ever providing a clear solution but this isn't, after all, meant to be a caper. The film is more a character study, but with a hole in the middle: the characters all seem to exist in an isolated vacuum, almost as if, despite the natural settings, they were (surprise) performing on stage.


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When did the con start? 1bilbo
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the best con game movies..similiar to this bangaarm
I loathe this movie. rbblemur
Unbelievably Predictable splooner
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