REVIEW: THE GAME (1997)
cast: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Unger.
directed by David Fincher
review by Chris Webb copyright 1997
to appear in The Amherst Student 9/17/97
In "The Net," Sandra Bullock raced against a band of computer hackers who sought to erase her identity. In predictable fashion, she was able to outsmart the fiends, saving herself from extinction, in the final scene of the movie. Writers John Braccato and Michael Ferris have teamed up again, this time creating a less formulaic and more unpredictable thriller in "The Game," with winning results.
Michael Douglas is San Francisco investment banker Nicholas Van Orton. A composite of his previous cutthroat and tempermental businessmen from "Falling Down" and "Wall Street." Throw in the bad luck he experienced in "Fatal Attraction" and "Disclosure," and we have his latest character. Nicholas is a miserly, modern-day Miss Havisham, who chooses to rot away in his wealth with nothing but reheated food and monotonous financial reports.
How could this six hundred million dollar man become such a cold fish? While not seeking to find the drive behind his personality, "The Game" constructs a past through home video-style flashbacks. In them, we see a young, happy boy with all the luxuries of the rich life his father brought to the family. Unfortunately, the happiness subsides after he witnesses his father leaping to his death from the roof of their mansion at age forty-eight. Today happens to be Nicholas' forty-eighth birthday, but in his life its just like any other day.
Dark rooms, cold floors, and bland gray suits abound as Nicholas tends to his daily business of being filthy rich and alone. Director David Fincher (Seven) skillfully crafts the image that Nicholas is a small cog in the grand scheme, passively living while his fortune builds effortlessly. Wide screen views of him within his mansion or office focus on the amenities of a lavish life rather than on Nicholas as a charater. We care about the ineffectuality of these scenes and not about the sad, unfortunate man within them.
The spark plug in the Van Orton family comes in ne'er-do-well Conrad, played by a hyperactive Sean Penn. Conrad has part of the Van Orton estate, but does not allow it to rule his life. Seeing Nicholas' misery, he decides he needs to have some fun. For his birthday, Conrad gives Nicholas the opportunity to play a reality based role playing game, sponsored by the ominous Consumer Recreation Services. In order to play, Nicholas endures extensive physical and mental tests, while also completing endless personality questionnaires. As the representative tells him, this game will provide him with what his life lacks.
In Nicholas' case, he is bound to have some excitement thrown into his life. It begins while he watches the financial news and the newscaster interrupts to tell him the rules of the game. Essentially, whatever happens, happens. It will not ruin the plot to say that while doing business, he cannot open his briefcase, a waitress spills wine all over him, he almost drowns in a car accident, and he endures rifle fire. While all this is inexplicable to him, the waitress (Deborah Unger) reveals that she was bribed to dump drinks on him as part of a prank.
"The Game" descends into the twisted and macabre as Nicholas begins to realize that he cannot bail out of his gift. The game overlaps and overtakes his life when his house is vandalized and his company's funds are tapped and drained. Even his friends seem connected to his downfall, and the waitress, who turns up again, has more than just drinks to spill on him.
Technically, Fincher has captured the essence of the thriller through a great use of his camera. The initial expansive views of Nicholas in his home, seemingly possessing control of his life, begin to close in on him. As the pressure on Nicholas rises, we find him trapped in elevators, running down alleys and dank hallways, and locked in cars. Sweat and strain replace the calm and command that Nicholas once possessed. The paranoia runs deep and even Conrad does not appear trustworthy.
After all this, we have quite a way to the end, and I choose not to spoil it. I find it hard to imagine that the ending will be guessed, since "The Game" twists where "The Net" plodded straight ahead. Given the way Nicholas treated people in the beginning, its fun to see this representative of Douglas' despicable characters be paid back. With the tables turned, the great world that Nicholas has inhabited and ruled does not feel quite so comfortable anymore.
The acting on the parts of Douglas and Penn, using their stodgy and wild-boy images respectably, is amazing and makes this plot seem more credible. The supporting cast are faceless enemies within a destructive machinery reminiscent of Stephen Spielberg's "The Duel." While the supporters could have held greater speaking parts, but the writers and Fincher smartly choose to focus on Nicholas fighting an uncontrollable monster.
"The Game" is an exciting, nerve-wracking thriller, and I highly recommend it. It runs over two hours, but feels as fast as a runaway car hurtling toward the San Francisco Bay.
My grade: A-
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