THE GAME
Director: David Fincher Writers: John Brancato, Michael Ferris, Larry Gross, and Andrew Kevin Walker Producers: Cean Chaffin & Steve Golin
Characters: Michael Douglas - Nicholas Van Orton Deborah Unger - Christine Sean Penn - Conrad Van Orton
Review:
"The Game" is one of those movies that people love to call a 'taut thriller'. In reference to this film, though, 'taut' is a joke. Most movies that categorize themselves as suspenseful thrillers or somesuch have a few surprises in them and perhaps a twist at the end that you might or might not have seen coming. "The Game" is decidedly atypical. I can honestly say that this is one of the most gripping and probably the most suspenseful movie I have seen.
David Fincher's fingerprints are all over this movie, and that is a very very good thing. From the customary darkness of the city and Michael Douglas' suits and Sean Penn's hair to the brief explosion of blinding neon in the middle of the film to the unspeakably suspenseful ending, it's clear who the director was. Actually, it's funny, I first heard a while back that David Fincher had directed some music videos, among which were "Janie's Got a Gun" by Aerosmith and "Vogue" by Madonna. I thought that was kind of odd, but after seeing each of those videos again, I really feel I should have known. Also, I have read in a place or two that he is either "strongly influenced by" or "blatantly copies" a film by the name of Videodrome, but having never seen it, I cannot comment.
Okay, enough about the director. Ever since I saw "Wall Street", I have been somewhat of a fan of Douglas, though he has made some movies by which I am decidedly unimpressed. Even if you don't like him, though, it's very clear that he was perfectly cast in this role. It's a role he's been playing quite often of late. Basically, he's the guy from "A Perfect Murder", except he's a slightly more sympathetic character this time around.
He is, however, not hugely concerned with those around him, including his brother Conrad, played by Sean Penn. Penn is unquestionably one of my favorite actors, and if you don't agree, you should check out "State of Grace" and "She's So Lovely". Anyway, though Penn's role is fairly small, he is responsible for the goings-on in the movie. For his birthday, Conrad gives his brother a gift certificate redeemable for participation in a game that is tailor-made for each participant by a company called Consumer Recreation Services. On somewhat of a whim, Nicholas decides to try it out, and man, do antics ensue!
I really don't see what there is not to like about this film. There is certainly the question of plausibility, but it is addressed relatively well in the movie. And besides, it's not all that hard to suspend disbelief for two hours and eight minutes. It's really a highly entertaining experience, and if that doesn't get you, then you can just pay attention to how beautiful the whole thing is. I am a big fan of the work of several people connected with this movie. Fincher and Andrew Kevin Walker (co-writer) worked together on Se7en (possibly my favorite movie ever), and as I said before, I am a fan of both Douglas and Penn. This is a movie that just can't go wrong. Give it a try.
- John Roberdeau
- john@dvdfuture.com
- http://www.dvdfuture.com/
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