Directed by David Mamet House of Games is one of those movies about a con man in which the audience itself is supposed to be fooled. You see this in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige and in a movie like Now You See It, and such sleight of hand is a tricky thing to pull off. There are … Continue reading House of Games (1987)
gambling
Bob le Flambeur (1956)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville Bob le Flambeur feels familiar. It's a casino heist movie that surely influenced Ocean's 11 (1960), complete with the methodically constructed plan and the suave, comforting criminal of a lead character. Once that plan is put in motion, however, it begins to slowly unravel until you can see the eventual failure from miles … Continue reading Bob le Flambeur (1956)
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Directed by Mike Figgis We get right to the point with the romance between Ben and Sera (Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue) in Leaving Las Vegas. One is an alcoholic, and the other is a prostitute. They've both moved to Las Vegas following disappointing or unsustainable lives in Los Angeles. You get the sense that try as … Continue reading Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Hard Eight (1996)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson Hard Eight, Paul Thomas Anderson's first feature film, is a beautiful crime film about a mysterious guardian angel named Sydney (Philip Baker Hall). The word that comes to mind when I think about this film is 'lurid,' and I'm not exactly sure why. I'm not even exactly sure what the … Continue reading Hard Eight (1996)
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