House of Games

"Human nature is a sucker bet."

1987 1h 42m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 370

CrimeThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Human nature is a sucker bet.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Lindsay Crouse
Dr. Margaret Ford
Joe Mantegna
Mike
Mike Nussbaum
Joey
Lilia Skala
Dr. Maria Littauer
J.T. Walsh
The Businessman
Steven Goldstein
Billy Hahn
Jack Wallace
Bartender
Ricky Jay
George

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Mamet
Writers: David Mamet, Jeff Balsmeyer, David Mamet
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Mamet, shot by Juan Ruiz Anchía. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alaric Jans. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Trudy Ship shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Lindsay Crouse and Joe Mantegna and Mike Nussbaum carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Human nature is a sucker bet.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0093223 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Mamet directs. Juan Ruiz Anchía behind the camera. Alaric Jans scores. Trudy Ship cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

139 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by David Mamet, shot by Juan Ruiz Anchía. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Alaric Jans. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Trudy Ship shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Lindsay Crouse and Joe Mantegna and Mike Nussbaum carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Human nature is a sucker bet.".
7IMDB entry: tt0093223 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "gambling", "gambling debt", "con man", "fraud".

The technical file

Cinematography: Juan Ruiz Anchía
Original score: Alaric Jans
Editing: Trudy Ship
Production design: Michael Merritt
Costume design: Nan Cibula
Makeup / hair: Gregory Villamil
Sound: Dick Vorisek
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $2,585,639
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: House of Games (1987)

Also by

David Mamet

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Community reviews

What people are saying

kevin20192024-01-25
★ 8/10
"House of Games" has a major flaw at its heart: we are told much too early it is all about con men and the type of unscrupulous people who inhabit this shady and duplicitous world. This leaves you forewarned and on alert during the rest of the film so you are never in any real doubt about what is going on at any given moment. The only unanticipated element of the entire film is that it definitely has serious aspirations to reach beyond the particular genre where it takes place and therefore it has an ending which casts an extremely intriguing light upon the central character of Margaret Ford and it leaves you wishing this aspect had been more fully explored. She is an enigma at the heart of a genre film and that in itself is most unusual.

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