House of Games (1987, rated R, 102 minutes) offers some familiar good guy/bad guy stuff about gambling, con men, and a conventional dedicated psychiatrist who slowly learns that she wants more out of life.
Dr. Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse), flush with triumph about her bestselling book, decides to go the extra mile to help a patient with a gambling compulsion, and she unknowingly steps through the looking glass.
Waiting to greet her on the other side is Mike (Joe Mantegna), a highly skilled hustler who keeps luckless gamblers on the tab. Mike has sized up Dr. Ford as a very profitable “mark” with no experience and deep pockets, a lady who wouldn’t think of placing a bet but can be conned into writing big checks.
The story line proceeds as you can imagine. I bet that you can’t imagine the ending.
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Read the House of Games screenplay by David Mamet
