Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

House of Games Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 2, 2019

David Mamet's "House of Games" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; archival audio commentary with Ricky Jay and David Mamet; video interview with Joe Mantegna; and more. The release also arrives with a 30-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Kent Jones and excerpts from the director's introduction to the published screenplay. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Players

If someone asked you to sum up your entire life with a single word, what would it be? Adventure, struggle, disaster, triumph? Have you ever thought of it as a game? What if life, and by default everything that occurs in it, is nothing more than a game of action and reaction? And what if there are only two kinds of people that participate in it -- skilled players that know how to initiate the action and then use it in their favor, and those that allow to be played and then struggle with the consequences of their forced reactions? Would you be one of the players, or would you be one of the played?

David Mamet’s directorial debut is a thought-provoking and very entertaining cinematic defense of the notion that life is in fact a game. Its main protagonist, Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse), is a prominent psychiatrist who is an expert at deconstructing lives and identifying the issues that have made them unmanageable. Her ability to see clearly and profile different people is so advanced that she prefers to spend time with her thoughts rather than be engaged in transparent social activities. It is why she is also single. An unusually tense session with a client who confesses that he is contemplating suicide because he owes a large sum of money, however, unexpectedly redirects her life. In a lousy bar, Margaret confronts Mike (Joe Mantegna), a poker player, who agrees to write off her client’s debt if she helps him figure out the ‘tells’ of a rival who has been winning for hours. Rather reluctantly she accepts the deal and misreads the ‘tells’, but finds Mike’s personality irresistibly attractive and begins a casual relationship with him. Soon after, Margaret agrees to help Mike and his friends stage an elaborate scam that could potentially help them retire, and the more she learns about their skills and lifestyle, the more she convinces herself that despite his ‘profession’ Mike deserves a permanent spot in her life.

The best thing about this film is that it offers an experience that gradually forces you to ponder whether you are properly reading the ‘tells’ of the people that you meet throughout your life as well. It does so by presenting different situations that reveal how seeing should never be a validation of reality, and that understanding that it is so is essential for the proper decoding of the ‘tells’ that ultimately can make you successful. This is the exact same revelation that Margaret extracts from her relationship with the con artists.

There is a degree of artificiality that plagues the film, however, and when it becomes too prominent it affects negatively its wit and charm. It is most noticeable whenever there is an important point about the nature of the game that is unfolding before Margaret’s eyes and Mike explains to her the ‘tells’ that she ought to focus on. These ‘conversations’ always look and sound like rushed rehearsals where two actors quickly recite their lines at each other to get a feel of the scene that later on they have to do right. Also, after the first card game the film essentially excuses Margaret’s long-lasting and crucial naivety with her supposedly overwhelming desire for the thrilling adventure that ultimately turns her life upside down, which is extremely odd and practically impossible to accept as legit given that as a successful psychiatrist she has trained her mind to carefully analyze everything that she sees and hears.

The film takes its appearance very seriously. Indeed, it is easy to tell that Mamet and director of photography Juan Ruiz Anchia carefully selected the key locations and then lit them with a particular ambience in mind. Most of it is easy to describe as neo-noirish.

*If the subject matter of House of Games appeals to you, here are a couple of other films that you should consider seeing: Bruce Geller’s Harry in Your Pocket! (1973) is one big and brilliant masterclass on the ‘game’ presented by a phenomenal crew of professional con artists. Barbet Schroeder’s Cheaters (1983) is another stylish eye-opener that follows two gamblers on the Portuguese island of Madeira. And Miguel Bardem’s Swindled (2004) is a wild roller-coaster that dissects the nature of the ‘game’ with an almost surgical precision.

House of Games Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MEPG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, David Mamet's House of Games arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Supervised and approved by director of photography Juan Ruiz Anchia, this high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine film scanner from a 35mm original interpositive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, and small dirt. The original monaural soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic soundtrack master. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and crackle, were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisors: Juan Ruiz Anchia, Maria Palazzola.
Colorists: Jeff Chavez/Point.360, Burbank, CA; Gregg Garvin/Modern VideoFilm, Los Angeles."

The film looks a bit soft for my taste and actually has a slightly dated overall appearance. (My guess is that the master was prepared some time ago). Plenty of the darker footage from the club as well as the nighttime visuals actually do not have the healthy nuances that newer 2K/4K remasters produce. Depth can be better as well, though what the current master offers is still quite good. Shadow definition isn't optimal and as a result some areas of the film tend to look flatter and even thicker (see screencaptures #10 and 18). Grain is also subdued, though the density levels remain strong. The color scheme is convincing, but some of the light black crush that is easily seen in darker footage actually affects existing nuances. Image stability is excellent. There are no distracting debris, scratches, cuts, stains, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

House of Games Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clean and stable. There are no balance issues to report either. The original soundtrack boasts some good dynamic contrasts, but do not expect strong intensity. The dialog is very easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, hum, dropouts, or distortions to report.

House of Games Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for House of Games. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Lindsay Crouse - in this vintage interview, actress Lindsay Crouse discusses her contribution to House of Games and recalls her interactions with director David Mamet. There are interesting observations about the character she plays, Dr. Margaret Ford, and some of her decisions. The interview was conducted in 2007. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080i).

• Joe Mantegna - in this vintage interview, actor Joe Mantegna discusses his long professional relationship with David Mamet and his involvement with House of Games. The interview was conducted in 2007. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• David Mamet on "House of Games" - this documentary was shot by producer Michael Hausman and his wife Pamela during the production of House of Games. It features clips from vintage interviews with cast and crew members. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Poker's life lessons
  2. "Ringball rounder"
  3. Implementing the plan
  4. "Just the facts"
  5. "Stacking the deck"

• A Short Con - in his original script for House of Games, David Mamet included the Tap as the short con that the character Joey, George, and Mike would demonstrate to Dr. Margaret Ford. To protect anyone actually working this con, consultant Ricky Jay opted to devise a variation of a different con called the Flue. With the approval of David Mamet and Ricky Jay, presented here is a gallery of original storyboards for the Tap and the corresponding scene from the movie. (1080p).

• Commentary - this vintage audio commentary features David Mamet and Ricky Jay. It initially appeared on Criterion's DVD release of the film from 2007.
  
  1. Introductions
  2. Psychiatry and confidence games
  3. The Big Con vs. the short con
  4. "Taking dead aim"
  5. Handling the cards
  6. "Ask her, is she mad?"
  7. A version of the Flue
  8. Freud
  9. "Script girl" at 14 to 1
  10. William H. Macy
  11. Sexuality and the con
  12. Hotel-key scams
  13. Lindsay Crouse
  14. "Giving the office"
  15. "Telling the tale"
  16. Cackle Bladder
  17. "Two Twinkies are funnier"
  18. "The Spanish Prisoner
  19. "As quickly as possible"
  20. The people at Enron
  21. Grift sense
  22. Orion

• Booklet - 30-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Kent Jones' essay "On Your Mark", David Mamet's "First-time Film Director", and technical credits.

House of Games Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I find some of the bigger themes that emerge in David Mamet's directorial debut a lot more interesting than the mechanics of the con jobs that its characters reveal. What if life, and by default everything that occurs in it, is in fact a big game that is controlled by skilled players? Think about it. How much of your life is really, well, your life? Can you afford not to react to the actions of the players that have defined its rules? And are you looking at it from the proper angle? If these questions have never crossed your mind, then it is practically guaranteed that there is a rude wake-up call coming your way. It may not be quite as exotic as the one that Dr. Margaret Ford gets in the film, but there will be one, and it will rock your world. Criterion's Blu-ray release of House Games is sourced from the older master that the label used a decade ago for this DVD release. It also retains the excellent audio commentary with the late Ricky Jay and David Mamet. RECOMMENDED.