Rent House of Games (1987)
3.6 of 5 from 101 ratings
1h 37min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- It's the shrink vs. the shark in the ultimate mind game! When a suicidal patient reveals that his gambling debt has him at the end of his rope, dedicated psychiatrist Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse) enters into the shadowy underground world of gaming to help him out. At a seedy casino, she boldly confronts Mike (Joe Mantegna), the con man to whom her patient is in debt. Duped into a high-stakes poker match, Margaret becomes intoxicated by Mike's mastery, as he both cheats at the game and charms her. She quickly falls for him, turning a blind eye to the fact that he's a swindler who can't be trusted. And before long she finds herself sparring in a mental poker match of the heart...with deadly consequences!
- Actors:
- Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, Mike Nussbaum, Lilia Skala, J.T. Walsh, Willo Hausman, Karen Kohlhaas, Steven Goldstein, Jack Wallace, Ricky Jay, G. Roy Levin, Bob Lumbra, Andy Potok, Allen Soule, Ben Blakeman, Scott Zigler, William H. Macy, John Pritchett, Meshach Taylor, Johnny 'Sugarbear' Willis
- Directors:
- David Mamet
- Producers:
- Michael Hausman
- Writers:
- David Mamet, Jonathan Katz
- Studio:
- MGM Home Entertainment
- Genres:
- Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- Award Winners, Heist Movies: Masterminds and Mavericks, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 2, A Brief History of Film...
- Awards:
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Reviews (1) of House of Games
Grift me Twice - House of Games review by griggs
House of Games is a film that impresses with its control. The structure, the dialogue, the pacing—it’s all meticulously managed. Watching it unfold feels like watching a stage magician: you know it’s a trick, but you still want to see how it’s pulled off.
If you start picking at the seams, there are a few wild coincidences, and the psychology leans heavily into pop-Freud. Still, it’s delivered with such confidence that you’re happy to be taken in. The cons are layered with flair, each one raising the stakes, and even when the final act veers into the theatrical, the tension holds firm.
Joe Mantegna is superb as the smooth-talking grifter—slick, sly, and oddly likeable. Lindsay Crouse is more of a mixed bag; her clipped, stagey delivery works in places but sometimes undercuts the realism. Nevertheless, this is a stylish, twisty thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, knowing precisely what it’s doing.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.