MovieChat Forums > House of Games (1987) Discussion > *Spoiler* Was expecting a twist...

Spoiler Was expecting a twist...

posted 11 years ago by indianzeppelin
3 replies | jump to latest

...with the gun at the end. I was expecting the gun to turn out to be a fake when she tries to fire it, because this gun was from the "patient" of hers who was part of the con gang (which would go on to use fake guns twice in the whole con). I thought this would have been in line with the modus operandi of the con gang.

So, why did this patient guy give her a real gun? To make him look authentic as a patient who wanted to kill himself? Wasn't it too risky to let a woman, who apparently didn't have any experience with a gun, keep it? It seems out of character that a group of con men would take such a risk given that they wanted to avoid violence of any kind.

Also, why did she not confront the patient regarding the lie he told her about how much he owed Mike? The minute Mike told her that this patient guy owes him only $800 and not $25k, she as a psychiatrist should have started thinking why the patient exaggerated the amount.

[–] gmoxie 9 years ago

I think Billy was running his own con. He had been pulled into Mike's con, but I think he wanted Mike dead, so that's why he brought in a real gun (loaded) to his counseling session, knowing she would be taking it away. He wanted her to have a real gun and hoped she would be so angry about getting conned that she would turn on Mike. Mike would be taken by surprise because he and his regular group don't resort to actual physical harm to anyone. Billy parked close to her office in the red car (after the con) so she would learn that it was all a setup.

It seemed odd to me that she didn't confront Billy about the BIG difference between the amount he said he owed and the amount he actually owed per Mike. That seems like a red flag because someone can't be that confused about how much they owe. I'm not sure I remember the time frame - how quickly did everything happen - 2-3 days? Perhaps Billy had weekly appointments and she would have brought it up at the next appointment.

[–] MoviemanCin 8 years ago

No I don't think Billy was running his own con. He was part of the crew. But it is a very large plot hole about the gun. I though it would turn out to be a cigarette lighter or filled with blanks.

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar, and / or doesn't.

[–] dyingearth 8 years ago

Billy's role is both the instigator and the blow off of the con. He is the one that enticed Dr. Ford into going Charley's Tavern. And it's his job to make sure that she stays off police radar after the initial blow off (killing of the 'undercover cop'). It's just he blew his second role which unravelled the plot (in so far as Mike's concern. The money is split, there's no getting them back).