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The Game [1997]
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
It's not quite as clever as it tries to be, but The Game does a tremendous job of presenting the story of a rigid control freak trapped in circumstances that are increasingly beyond his control. Michael Douglas plays a rich, divorced, and dreadful investment banker whose 48th birthday reminds him of his father's suicide at the same age. He's locked in the cage of his own misery until his rebellious younger brother (Sean Penn) presents him with a birthday invitation to play "The Game" (described as "an experiential Book of the Month Club")--a mysterious offering from a company called Consumer Recreation Services. Before he knows the game has even begun, Douglas is caught up in a series of unexplained events designed to strip him of his tenuous security and cast him into a maelstrom of chaos. How do you play a game that hasn't any rules? That's what Douglas has to figure out, and he can't always rely on his intelligence to form logic out of what's happening to him. Seemingly cast as the fall guy in a conspiracy thriller, he encounters a waitress (Deborah Unger) who may or may not be trustworthy, and nothing can be taken at face value in a world turned upside down. Douglas is great at conveying the sheer panic of his character's dilemma, and despite some lapses in credibility and an anticlimactic ending, The Game remains a thinking person's thriller that grabs and holds your attention. Thematic resonance abounds between this and Seven and Fight Club, two of the other films by The Game 's director David Fincher. -- Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Was expecting so much more
Review date: 2008-11-23 Rating: 4 out of 10
Michael Douglas acts his role well, as expected. However I found this
film to be disappointing. 'The Game' started almost immediately, with
no build-up, and very little history or depth to his character,
Nicholas Van Orton. This meant, for me, that the ending was a let-down,
because the film hadn't made me feel that Van Orton deserved it. Though
there was an increasing feeling that something exciting was about to
happen, for me it failed to deliver. The 'big twists' were rather
predictable I found, and I was just left thinking, 'What a horrible
thing to do'. I really feel that had the film-makers speeded up the
drawn-out parts of the film, and spent a little more time making Van
Orton look like the horrid guy he was supposed to be at the beginning,
the ending would have made much more sense.
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Reviews
Watch this!!!
Review date: 2008-03-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
Brilliant. A very clever film that hooks you in from the very beginning and keeps you there until the very end. Can't fault it.
A SATISFYING THRILLER
Review date: 2007-10-18 Rating: 8 out of 10
The Game weaves its way into and around your brain, challenging you to figure out the puzzle. It's a rather unique film experience because of that no-holds-barred challenge - it challenges you to figure out what's coming next, in a direct way not many other films attempt. It's a thinking person's film; whether it's actually intelligent or not probably depends on the individual, but I'd like to think it's pretty smart. Also pretty smart is the character played by Michael Douglas - business smarts, that is. Douglas was near the end of a roll playing businessmen, began in Wall Street(87). He becomes involved with an odd company, CRS, introduced to him by his younger brother (Sean Penn in a small role). What begins as amusing distraction for his orderly world soon turns sinister.
The film points out that people, especially smarter people whom you'd think don't need amusement, all need some kind of distraction. Isn't that what we're all doing essentially during our lifetimes - finding different means of distraction before the inevitable end? And aren't those distractions just a means to avoid thinking about that end? Douglas may be closer to that end than he thinks here. As the toying escalates and becomes dangerous, the viewer may think this has the makings of a slick, if standard, thriller, but that's not the case, to everyone's credit. You reach a point, however, when certain incidents demand suspension of disbelief, no matter how much you trust the filmmakers. How far can a man fall, for example, before you start to think there's a limit of how much I can buy into here? How much can be allowed, how much power can you allow for the puppeteers before a line is crossed? It crosses that line with me towards the end but reaching that point was an interesting experience, something I can say about too few films.
This was Fincher's middle film in his personal great trilogy, caught between "Se7en" and "Fight Club." If there's one other minor quibble I might voice, it's that his stylistic flourishes are missing in this one - it's comparatively straightforward, even with the Super-8 type flashbacks, and I would have to rate this a smidgen below the other two. However, if I had to pick one to watch over and over, it would be The Game.
more than just a "thriller"...
Review date: 2007-05-28 Rating: 8 out of 10
It goes without saying that David Fincher has unique visions when it comes to filmmaking, steering clear of any traditional styles. We saw this in "Se7en", "Fight Club", "Alien³", and even "Panic Room". Here, we have another interesting work from his cliché-free point of view.
The movie is organized and shot impeccably; the plot is imaginative and complicated as well as entertaining, pulling you immediately in. Sometimes the story drags on and next move seems visible, but this is not a big deal. The acting of Douglas, Penn, Unger and and even minor roles is satisfying.
Nicholas Van Orton, a workaholic investment banker, is such a hotshot that Michael Douglas was born to play: powerful, wealthy & brainy as well as cocky, mighty & haughty. Initially cool and reserved, then gradually less and less sure of himself, more and more perplexed when the things go awry. What a perfect character for Douglas as an actor...
Overwhelmed by his father's suicide and his divorce, he built a psychological & emotional cocoon around himself. But his life began changing entirely when he became enmeshed in an outstandingly elaborate real-life game, given as a birthday present by his brother Conrad. The game, arranged by a sinister outfit called CRS, is a bizzare one: no defined rules & no specified beginning or end. The aim of the game is to give Van Orton what he's lacking in real life. Actually, he starts out DEAD but the game brings something in him to life. After multitudes of twists, turns and near-death experiences arranged by CRS agents and allies, the cocoon is shattered and he turns into what he was made to be: A HUMAN BEING.
This is a film that will make you wish that you could play such a game in real life...
Classic
Review date: 2006-12-13 Rating: 10 out of 10
One of the best films that you will ever watch, you have to watch all of it. Michael douglas occassionaly acts like an icon, and this is one such occassion.
Twists, turns and revelations. A Great and under stated film.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
James Rebhorn
Michael Douglas
Deborah Kara Unger
Sean Penn
Peter Donat
Creators:
Michael Douglas (Primary Contributor)
Deborah Kara Unger (Primary Contributor)
Ceán Chaffin (Producer)
John D. Brancato (Producer)
John D. Brancato (Writer)
Jonathan Mostow (Producer)
Michael Ferris (Producer)
Michael Ferris (Writer)
Steve Golin (Producer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 3259190361690
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2001-12-24
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 123 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1997-09-12
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: German (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: French (Dubbed)
Language: German (Dubbed)
Language: Spanish (Dubbed)