David Mamet

[Mikado]

I've seen several Mamet films including Heist, Ronin,Glengarry Glen Ross, Wag the Dog. But the one that made me want to know who directed/wrote it was "Spanish Prisoner". This was awhile back, but I was just reminded of it because he has a new film coming out, "Spartan". What are some other good films by Mamet?

[slambert007]

He directed House of Games and wrote The Untouchables and The Verdict. Has anyone seen State and Main? I heard it was good, but have never seen it.


sean

[limacharliewhiskey]

The Heist was probably the 1st David Mamet film I saw, and I was impressed with it.

I later saw the Winslow Boy, but wasn't impressed with this slower-paced drama that had too much British snobbery in it for my tastes.

State and Main is a light-hearted comedy romp, great cast, memorable performances by William H. Macy and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Definitely worth a rental, but DVD is a bit barebones to consider buying.

As reference, here's the IMDb link to David Mamet:
http://imdb.com/name/nm0000519/

[heuresk]

Originally Posted by Mikado

I've seen several Mamet films including Heist, Ronin,Glengarry Glen Ross, Wag the Dog. But the one that made me want to know who directed/wrote it was "Spanish Prisoner". This was awhile back, but I was just reminded of it because he has a new film coming out, "Spartan". What are some other good films by Mamet?

For my money The Winslow Boy was his best directed movie, and Glengarry Glen Ross his best written movie (albeit adapted from his own play), as well as the best movie associated with Mamet. James Foley did a bang up job directing that movie.

I like Mamet's writing and his razor-sharp dialogue (although they do tend to get foiled up by his insistence on flat delivery), but I'm of the opinion that his scripts would be better served if they were directed by other directors of renown. Case in point, Ronin. It had all the signature Mamet style of dialogue and sparse expositions, but the sheer mastery of the director John Frankenheimer really shines through--and it is better served for it.

On the other hand, Spartan, which was a decent script overall (it started TOO WELL for its own good, because the resolution is a let down as a result)--but ultimately failed because of Mamet's inability to let the actors breathe a little with the material. In several spots the audience I watched Spartan with laughed at the odd dialogue and the way they were delivered.

[stiles]

After watching Spartan this past weekend, I looked up some of Mamet's previous films, and found a very interesting trend.

None of his films that he directed have made any money.

All of the films that he's written only have made money.

He's got a talent, but I found that most of the dialog written in Spartan was just awful, delivery or not. I understand what you're saying, heuresk, but I found most of the dialog in the film poorly written.

That said, I found the characters and the plot very interesting and entertaining.

I haven't seen many of his directed films because after watching American Buffalo, I thought I was going to die. It's by far the worst film I've ever seen.

I sat through a stage play of Oleanna, and that was just awful, too. It wasn't even the acting, it was just a terribly written play.

I'm looking forward to seeing The Spanish Prisoner because of all the good things I've heard. The Winslow Boy doesn't sound bad, either... but sheesh... some of them are real dogs.

[LeChuck]

I love mamet's films. I have seen every movie he directed and a few others that he has written. I even spent a semester in school studying his films. His dialogue may baffle some, but I find the redundant repetitions great. I pretty much love all his films, except Spartan which I only like the beginning of (which was the only mamety part of the film).Oleanna is also an underated gem. Really anything he did is worth seeing once but my favorites are:
House of Games
Homicide
The Spanish Prisoner
The Winslow Boy
Glengarry Glenn Ross
Ronin

[stiles]

Originally Posted by LeChuck

Glengarry Glenn Ross
Ronin

I agree with these two completely (which goes with my opinion on him not directing these films), but you can see an enormous difference between them (the writing/storytelling/dialog), because of J.D. Zeik's additions to the writing in Ronin, whereas Glengarry is all Mamet.

I can't hardly see any of his trademark work (read=dialog) in Hannibal or The Untouchables... I suppose because of Steven Zaillian for Hannibal and that the two were based on novels?

[megra]

Like others here, I am an admirer of Mamet's films. My particular favourite is House of Games. A brilliant script and brilliant ensemble acting.

megra

[Bantam]

I liked Spartan a lot but hadn't even heard of it until recently. I never saw anything about it when it was released. Why was it so under the radar?