'The Game'

[APzombie]

THE GAME

John 9;25: "I was blind, but now I see."

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0119174/fcstil_0106-1.jpg

Michael Douglas
Sean Penn
Deborah Unger
James Rebhorn

Written by John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris (III)

Directed by David Fincher

The Plot

Nicholas Van Orton is a 48 year old millionaire whose life is cold and alienated. He's a control freak. His brother Conrad gives him an unusual present for his 48th birthday. A game organised by a shadowy corporation called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Reluctantly, but somewhat intrigued, Van Orton becomes involved in the real life game. His television starts talking to him, his pen leaks before a business meeting, his attache case won't open. Then the game takes a sinister turn and the possibility of it being a scam to get Van Orton's millions becomes increasingly likely.

One of the most original and interesting psychological thrillers i have seen to date, The Game is all about the unpredictable. The suspence holds up so well that right when you think you know the truth, the tables turn again and again. In my humble opinion I think this goes right up there with Finchers Se7en but for different reasons. With this film, the finger is always pointing from character to character, who can you trust? Who is part of the 'scam'? Or even worse, is there a scam?

9.5/10

[Fergus]

I must say, the first time I saw this film was back when it was in theaters. When I left, I was utterly blown away by it. This film can be compared with 'WIlD THINGS' in that it has more twists than a pretzel factory except it is more serious than 'WT'. You cannot predict how this movie will end up and that is what I liked. Also the twists are very believable once you get to the end when all is revealed and what a stunning conclusion it is. I recommend this film only to be watched once because it is purely a thrill ride for one time only, and I say this because once you know all the twists, the second viewing is not that entertaining, but what a great first viewing it was. I highly recommend it the first time you see it but otherwise I wouldn't buy it. Now Michael Douglas does a great job in the role of Nicolas Van Orton, as do the supporting players such as Sean Penn. They create believable performances and the script keeps you guessing right up until the conclusion. Fincher's dark, stylish direction is used also to great benefit.

Although this is equal to 'Seven' for the first time around, it does not however hold up as well in repeat viewings, which leads me to conclude 'Seven' is a better movie overall. I won't compare it to 'Fight Club' because those films have very little in common, because 'FC' is more of a character study than a thriller, in my opinion.

I want to stress once more how the film loses its impact upon viewing it a second time. You may love the film now APzombie, but try it twice, and see if your reaction is the same. There are some movies you could watch over and over, but this flick is not one of them.

Taking into consideration the ability for the film to hold up in upcoming years, my rating would be somewhere around (****) of five, or an (8/10). But, just so you know, my rating was the same as yours when I initially saw it in theaters way back in 97'.