THE GAME
RATING: ***1/2 (out of ****)
Polygram / 1997 / 2:08 / R (brief sexuality, violence, language) Cast: Michael Douglas; Sean Penn; Deborah Kara Unger; James Rebhorn; Anna Katerina; Armin Mueller-Stahl Director: David Fincher Screenplay: John D. Brancato; Michael Ferris
David Fincher is a master of the dark, dreary and depressing. His only two previous directing credits are "Alien 3" and "Seven," but anyone who has seen either of those films can testify that an unsettling atmosphere is practically a character alone whenever Fincher's at the helm. This menacing ambiance certainly plays a part in "The Game," his extremely clever new thriller that incorporates a little of Henri-Georges Clouzot and a lot of Alfred Hitchcock, yet still feels like a complete original. It's one of those movies where the cinematic experience is far from over when the credits start to roll -- in fact, it's really just begun.
"The Game" stars Michael Douglas as Nick Van Orten, a millionaire investment banker who lives only with his maid in an immense San Francisco mansion. Birthday number 48 is fast approaching, a milestone that is met with both trepidation and surprise; not only is that the age his father was when he took his life, but Nick's black sheep brother Conrad (Sean Penn) mysteriously surfaces to offer his sibling a surprise present -- a gift certificate to a shady agency known as Consumer Recreation Services. "They make your life fun," Conrad says to Nick. Um, sure.
Somewhat reluctantly, Nick pays a visit to CSR's downtown offices where he learns that his gift is a real-life "game" tailored to match his stamina and cerebral capacities. He undergoes a lengthy series of tests, both mental and physical, and is sent on his way after being told that his game will start without warning. Before too long, strange things begin to happen -- occurrences as mundane as his ballpoint pen leaking in his breast pocket or as bizarre as a waitress (Deborah Kara Unger) spilling drinks on him and then admitting she was paid $400 to do so. He also finds keys with the CSR emblem on them all over the place. Nick begins to cast a suspicious eye on all of his surroundings, as even the most innocent everyday acts -- like taking a cab or watching TV -- seem to yield nightmarish circumstances.
To say anything else about "The Game"'s story would be unfair, because the vast enjoyment of this particularly labrynthine mystery is derived from its tumbling domino-like chain of events. Surprises are numerous, frequent and so involving that Fincher actually positions us in the middle of the creepy goings-on. In a sense, we become Nick and work through the puzzle with him, and many scenes act as a testament to that. When, early in the film, a business associate inexplicitly tells Nick of his dealings with CSR only by quoting a Biblical passage -- "I once was blind but now I see" -- it's hard to keep the hairs on the back of your neck from standing up. There's also a standout sequence where Nick ambles through an airport and views every person walking by and every object in reach as a element of the game. With Fincher's eerie focus, even a baby rattle appears malevolent.
Much was made of the shocking conclusions to both "Seven" and "Alien 3," and when it comes to "The Game"'s finale, "shocking" is quite an understatement. I suppose there are those in the audience who will have things all figured out by the time "The Game" reaches its actual denouement, but its concluding scene is one that probably no one will predict. Fincher's execution completely defies expectation, and for that reason alone, "The Game" really pulls the wool over your eyes -- this is one of those endings that's more genius the more it's thought about, and it should be thought about a lot. How the movie arrives there is quite a different matter, utilizing sporadic bouts of coincidence and a few ideas that are never fully explained or developed, but then again, John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris'screenplay so eagerly explores so many insane tangents that it's not necessarily jolting that they eventually shoot themselves in the foot.
There are many things to admire about "The Game," and chief among them is the Fincher's pure exhilarating craftsmanship. Michael Douglas' performance is also wondrous itself, and because his fleshed-out, unnerved anti-hero is featured prominently in just about every scene, it's quite easy to see what's keeping him on his toes. Nick Van Orten is a classic "innocent man on the lam" role, and the movie offers a classy yarn for him to run through. And as the game toys with Nick's head, "The Game" gets inside ours.
© 1997 Jamie Peck E-Mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/
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