House of GamesMost people don't want to admit to themselves just what kind of person they are deep down. That inner shadow aspect--to put it in Jungian psychology terms--represents concealed desires born from defensive self-interest and self-preservation. These sound like the kinds of diagnoses that famed author and psychiatrist, Dr. Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse), would apply to her clients. But when she encounters an enigmatic con man named Mike (Joe Mantegna), who lures her deeper into a world of criminality, she is forced to turn the mirror back on herself.
|
|
Margaret's live was very routine before her troubling session with a client named Billy Hahn (Steven Goldstein), who claims he owes twenty-five thousand dollars to Mike. She saw her patients and took notes while they talked--much to their frustration; but she didn't seem to invest anything of herself in their suffering. Margaret comes across as sophisticated and smart, but also icy and aloof. When a fan asks her to sign a copy of her book, she does, but then breaks off the conversation with a stilted awkwardness that suggests some anti-social disorder in herself. Margaret has avoided self-analysis, even though her friend and presumed mentor, Dr. Littauer (Lilia Skala), observes that Margaret is subconsciously masking something as evidenced by her occasional Freudian slip. After Billy's outburst, he leaves his gun with Margaret; to rational viewers, it's inconceivable that Margaret would not have at least contacted the police to report the incident (and to turn over the pistol). She acts surprised to find it resting in her drawer, next to a pile of loose change, but subconsciously, she had no interest in parting with it. It is a reminder--a totem--of an event that has affected her; more than that, it represents everything that she is missing in life: excitement, danger...even being "bad". Margaret is straight-laced to the point of being stiff; but among Billy's notes, she discovers a place and a name: "The House of Games"--a brazen name for an illicit gambling den--and a man named Mike. The place is in a part of town where "nice women" like Margaret shouldn't mess around, and filled with men who use far more coarse language than Margaret does in her civilized life. The bar where Margaret begins her descent into a world of vice and moral corruption is behind a sturdy, green door. (This is, perhaps, an homage to the infamous pornographic film, Behind the Green Door, that transformed the one-time "Ivory Soap girl", Marilyn Chambers, into an adult film icon.) Margaret is prepared to establish her authority with Mike, reading him the riot act, concluding he's just a "bully". She believes she has a handle on the con man, but her act is as superficial as if it were lifted from a cheap detective novel; Mike sees right through it, and takes command of the encounter by inviting her into his process. After their first encounter, that insight bleeds over into her work life, and intices her to seek him out for more "lessons" under the ostensible reason of researching a new book. But Mike knows what truly drives her once more into the shadows, even if she is still struggling with self-deception.
House of Games is all about psychology--the clinical sort, but also the "psychology of the streets" which Mike teaches through his confidence games. Consider how when we're introduced to Margaret: she is in a session with her client, rarely looking up from her notebook. She isn't really paying attention to her clients--giving that human connection. They don't feel comforted, because she isn't interested in helping them--and she doesn't hide it that well. Next consider how Mike first clues Margaret in on what a "tell" is--how to know when someone is bluffing or concealing something based on subtle body language: Mike never takes his eyes off of her...he makes eye contact, and he guesses her tell every time. This level of personal attention disarms the "mark", and makes it so that they cannot deceive the con because of the natural reaction of wanting to be honest. This is something reinforced during the developmental stages when we are always trying to win the approval of our parents. This is the "psychology" that Margaret incorporates into her subsequent session with a client (Karen Kohlhaas)--called a "murderess" by Dr. Littauer in a private conversation with Margaret--resulting in an altogether different interaction. Before this, the scenes between Margaret and her client are shot from profile, as if suggesting an antagonistic relationship; after that, we see close ups of both the client and Margaret's faces, suggesting sympathy and an interpersonal connection. This awakening in her personal and professional life is superficially the justification Margaret uses to seek out Mike again, but the reality of her return is revealed in the way she does it. Like an "addict", she comes back for a second dose; this time, she wears a more casual outfit, and in one moment adjusts the collar of her shirt to make it more suggestive. It is as though she were disguising herself while "slumming it" with a con like Mike, looking "bad" to justify acting "bad". Mike takes Margaret on a virtual tour of the scams he and his allies conduct, including a cunning grift at a Western Union office involving marine named Sgt. Moran (William H. Macy). He repeatedly tells Margaret that the secret to the con is not getting the other person's confidence, but giving them yours--a point she takes at face value. Mike recognizes her desire to do something dangerous with her life; he secretly describes her as an "addict" at one point. Although Mike is a crook, he engenders sympathy from Margaret; his roguish charisma encourages her to open up and discover more about herself. He talks of how his "job" fulfills a need in people like Sgt. Moran by making them feel better about themselves because they think that they've done a "good deed". (Considering how much a shrink makes for an hour on the couch, the line between medical professional and quick change artist seems a bit more gray in the world of House of Games.)
House of Games also explores a "battle of the sexes" between Margaret and Mike. Margaret turns to her confidant, Dr. Littauer, as a role model and maternal figure, and an example of the kind of psychiatrist she believes she should be. Mike represents a "Prince Charming" and "bad boy" all in one, and seduces her with his experience and worldliness. Mike also pals around with his fellow con men--essentially a "boy's club"--who considers the inclusion of a woman (Margaret) into a con to be "bad luck". There is an element of misogyny to the con men, evidenced by the way they speak to Margaret when frustrated or stressed, and other ways they show her a lack of respect. Margaret's client describes the way her father used to abuse her, and tells Margaret about how her father claimed that he could "make any woman a whore". Mike leading Margaret down the proverbial rabbit hole seems designed so that he can take some pleasure in degrading her, in bringing her down to "his level", even if she presumes that she walked through that "green door" by herself. This back and forth between Margaret and Mike is a bit like poker--the stakes escalate with each new gamble, and the rush of self-discovery and threat of disaster makes the thrills ever greater. But the ones who come out on top know the opponent's tell; otherwise, they should be prepared to fall prey to a good bluff.
Recommended for: Fans of a tense and intellectually stimulating thriller about con men and psychologists, dueling on their mutual battleground of the mind. House of Games is a film which ebbs and flows with plenty of twists and turns, always keeping you on your toes.
House of Games is all about psychology--the clinical sort, but also the "psychology of the streets" which Mike teaches through his confidence games. Consider how when we're introduced to Margaret: she is in a session with her client, rarely looking up from her notebook. She isn't really paying attention to her clients--giving that human connection. They don't feel comforted, because she isn't interested in helping them--and she doesn't hide it that well. Next consider how Mike first clues Margaret in on what a "tell" is--how to know when someone is bluffing or concealing something based on subtle body language: Mike never takes his eyes off of her...he makes eye contact, and he guesses her tell every time. This level of personal attention disarms the "mark", and makes it so that they cannot deceive the con because of the natural reaction of wanting to be honest. This is something reinforced during the developmental stages when we are always trying to win the approval of our parents. This is the "psychology" that Margaret incorporates into her subsequent session with a client (Karen Kohlhaas)--called a "murderess" by Dr. Littauer in a private conversation with Margaret--resulting in an altogether different interaction. Before this, the scenes between Margaret and her client are shot from profile, as if suggesting an antagonistic relationship; after that, we see close ups of both the client and Margaret's faces, suggesting sympathy and an interpersonal connection. This awakening in her personal and professional life is superficially the justification Margaret uses to seek out Mike again, but the reality of her return is revealed in the way she does it. Like an "addict", she comes back for a second dose; this time, she wears a more casual outfit, and in one moment adjusts the collar of her shirt to make it more suggestive. It is as though she were disguising herself while "slumming it" with a con like Mike, looking "bad" to justify acting "bad". Mike takes Margaret on a virtual tour of the scams he and his allies conduct, including a cunning grift at a Western Union office involving marine named Sgt. Moran (William H. Macy). He repeatedly tells Margaret that the secret to the con is not getting the other person's confidence, but giving them yours--a point she takes at face value. Mike recognizes her desire to do something dangerous with her life; he secretly describes her as an "addict" at one point. Although Mike is a crook, he engenders sympathy from Margaret; his roguish charisma encourages her to open up and discover more about herself. He talks of how his "job" fulfills a need in people like Sgt. Moran by making them feel better about themselves because they think that they've done a "good deed". (Considering how much a shrink makes for an hour on the couch, the line between medical professional and quick change artist seems a bit more gray in the world of House of Games.)
House of Games also explores a "battle of the sexes" between Margaret and Mike. Margaret turns to her confidant, Dr. Littauer, as a role model and maternal figure, and an example of the kind of psychiatrist she believes she should be. Mike represents a "Prince Charming" and "bad boy" all in one, and seduces her with his experience and worldliness. Mike also pals around with his fellow con men--essentially a "boy's club"--who considers the inclusion of a woman (Margaret) into a con to be "bad luck". There is an element of misogyny to the con men, evidenced by the way they speak to Margaret when frustrated or stressed, and other ways they show her a lack of respect. Margaret's client describes the way her father used to abuse her, and tells Margaret about how her father claimed that he could "make any woman a whore". Mike leading Margaret down the proverbial rabbit hole seems designed so that he can take some pleasure in degrading her, in bringing her down to "his level", even if she presumes that she walked through that "green door" by herself. This back and forth between Margaret and Mike is a bit like poker--the stakes escalate with each new gamble, and the rush of self-discovery and threat of disaster makes the thrills ever greater. But the ones who come out on top know the opponent's tell; otherwise, they should be prepared to fall prey to a good bluff.
Recommended for: Fans of a tense and intellectually stimulating thriller about con men and psychologists, dueling on their mutual battleground of the mind. House of Games is a film which ebbs and flows with plenty of twists and turns, always keeping you on your toes.