david mamet film debut have be hail by many a a real thinking man movie and a movie that make you question everybody and everything . i saw it for the first time recently and couldn not understand what be suppose to be so great about it . the movie be about a female psychologist name margaret who be also a best selling author . margaret have become disillusion by her profession and her inability to really help anyone . she try to rectify this by help settle her patient gamble debt to a shark name mike ( play by joe mantegna and who be the only reason to watch this film ) . she discover that mike be actually a professional confidence man when she nearly fall victim to a scam he pull immediately after meet her . intrigued and she return to see him and ask him to show her how con artist operate ( she plan on use this a the subject of a new psychology book ) . she then fall for him and accompany him on a long con that he and his associate have set up . i do not feel like go into detail and but at the end of the film it be reveal that the event of the whole movie be an elaborate con by mike and his crony to swindle margaret out of $ 80 and 000. first of all and the big twist towards the end be very predictable . any scene where the con men be operating be make very obvious by the stagey acting and weird line read . not only that and but the audience ( and the main character ) know that theyre deal with con men and so be it really such a big surprise when we find out that margaret have herself be con . besides and margaret be supposedly an intelligent psychologist who be an expert at read people and yet she allow herself to be dupe far too easily and keep in mind and she know full well that mike be a con artist . secondly and we be lead to believe that margaret be con from the very beginning and yet in order for the con to ultimately work and she have to do several thing that the con men couldn not possibly have predict that she would do . first and she have to decide to help settle her patient debt and allow her to meet the con men in the first place . if she hadn not do this and the entire con would have fail . i just have to say that it pretty unreasonable to assume that a psychologist be go to take it upon herself to settle a patient gamble debt . not only that and but what be the odds that the con men would be at the right spot on the very night she decide to show up . do they simply show up at that bar every night and hoping she would come and see them . another thing that have to happen that couldn not have be predict be that margaret have to return to see mike again and ask him to teach her the trick of his trade . what be the odds of this happening . and yet the whole con be base on this premise . another problem i have be with the end . margaret find out she be con and decides to get revenge on mike . at first and mamet lead u to believe that she go to con the con and but that fall through and so the ultimate end be her gunning mike down in an airport baggage area . somehow that just felt like a clumsy and inept way to end a movie about con artist ply their trade . not only that and but she do not even take back the money he steal from her . ultimately and the movie leave you feel empty and unfulfilled . and if you and like me and predict ahead of time that margaret be go to be con and you will find this revelation just a unsatisfying .