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Rating: The "Casa dei Giochi" is a not very well-known film that turns out to be the first movie directed by David Mamet, a playwright and screenwriter with a very respectable resume (I mention "The Untouchables" as the first title that comes to mind).
As I’ve done before, I’ll avoid going into the plot, easily available on well-known sites (beware of those that spoil). In fact, films about con artists, scams, and "cons" always intrigue, they are characters we love and hate at the same time, admiring their moves and insights with guilty pleasure. And yes, who among us doesn't find Di Caprio in "Catch Me If You Can" somewhat irritating?
The nested plot works, presenting its twists which are not entirely unpredictable but well-crafted. Joe Mantegna in great shape, charming and insidious at the same time, unlike the female lead, who is too impassive and cold even during the scenes of greatest tension.
The pace is not fast, a nice essay on the art of the con (which often goes up in smoke due to small details, such as the delightful water gun scene during the poker game).
The final twist reflects the change in the conscientious psychiatrist who, after hanging out with the "limping" con artist and having fun limping herself, executes an effective bluff to recover from the pride wounded by the scam suffered. In truth, not so much from that, but from having deluded herself that she had emotionally won over the handsome enigmatic man.
Details are important (the blood in the handkerchief after breaking the glass, which gives the protagonist the intuition of having witnessed a setup; the trash bin (including the gun) that is not thrown away; the key to open the locker with the “fake” bag), but you have to look for them a bit on your own, the camera doesn’t help us to pay too much attention.
An interesting film, with a few more adjustments it would have been more successful because it starts from a brilliant screenplay, but it's Mamet's first film, so we can give him a pass.
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