Writer: David Mamet

David Mamet came from the theatre with Glengarry Glen Ross and American Buffalo, and his dialogue is so distinctive it has a name. Characters interrupt, repeat, trail off and use profanity as punctuation, and actors either find the rhythm or founder in it.

His screenplays include The Untouchables, The Verdict, Wag the Dog and Heist, and he directed House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner and State and Main. The confidence trick recurs constantly, usually with the audience as the mark.

His book On Directing Film is short, dogmatic and genuinely useful.