One of the joys of watching a David Mamet directed film, or a Mamet script directed by someone (as is the case here) is how the language is often used to say absolutely nothing. It is the dance, not the destination. While this is actually something that goes against the grain of the writer in his book in 2007 book “Bambi Vs. Godzilla” these days, back when one of his earliest plays, was conceived, the language was the thing; a means to an end of expressing the competent and gruff manliness of blue-collar sailors and rebuilding their idle pitter-patter into some kind of poetry. In Lakeboat, director Joe Mantegna (a Mamet regular actor himself) simply lets his actors deliver their dialogue (albeit playing the cardgame “War” is a nice visual addition to the text). Here two Mamet stage-regulars, J.J. Johnston and Jack Wallace debate the finer points of action star Steven Seagal with Jonston merely antagonizing Wallace, he never really offers much of an argument except his own disdain. Yet with enough force, and enough swearing, the scene works well. It is far from the best scene in Lakeboat, yet, the non-essentially of it (note Dennis Leary reading porno in the background) makes it stand out. Either way something is being said about these two fellows, even if they don’t say much themselves amongst the fountain of wrangle.

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