In his directorial debut, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet creates a stylish cinematic puzzle of games within games, as con men are joined by a psychologist in creating the perfect caper. Dr. Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse), the writer of psychological self-help books, meets Mike (Joe Mantegna) as she attempts to help a patient who owes heavy gambling debts. When she herself is the victim of a con, she becomes intrigued by the psychological drama of the con game and joins in a
complicated scam involving a suitcase of cash. Mamet directs his extremely complicated plot with skill and complete control until it is impossible to tell who is the con and who is the victim. The suspense builds to an amazing surprise ending which is both reasonable and believable but completely unpredictable. Crouse and Mantegna are outstanding as are all the supporting performances. Mamet and his cinematographer Juan Ruiz-Anchia create a visually stunning, compelling film that does justice to Mamet's superbly written screenplay ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
O roteiro é mais previsível do que Mamet desejaria e seu primeiro trabalho na direção exibe uma teatralidade que ele gradualmente superaria, mas, apesar disso, a complexidade de seus personagens e a dinâmica de seus diálogos são admiráveis.
a fascinating psychological profile and a cunning thriller, and the brilliance of the film is the way in which Mamet makes the two facets of his story work together
Since it would be unfair to spoil a moment of this perfectly-plotted masterpiece, all you need to know is that it landed on this critic's Best Movies of the Millennium List in 2000.
Since it would be unfair to spoil even a moment of this perfectly-plotted masterpiece, all you need to know is that it landed on this critic's Best Movies of the Millennium List in 2000.
A conceptual film about con artists, Mamet's feature debut is a deadpan, deviously comic melodrama that proceeds with twists and reversals and builds like a poker game in which the stakes are higher and higher.
Lindsay Crouse is an eminent psychologist who is desperate for adventure. One day she'll meet Joe Mantegna's character, a swindler that will provide her a few tricks to reach a little excitement in her life. There will be, of course, a few bumps on their way.A tight and thoughtful writing and direction along with Juan
Ruiz Anchia's stylish photographic work, construct a rich and atmospheric hitchcockian tour de force with no room for gratuitousness, not even in Mamet's notorious use of coarse words. David Mamet's first and easily best film.
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