The Game (1997)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

David Fincher

Writers (WGA):

John D. Brancato (written by) &
Michael Ferris (written by)

Release Date:

12 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Players Wanted.

Plot:

Wealthy financier Nicholas Van Orton gets a strange birthday present from wayward brother Conrad: a live-action game that consumes his life.

Plot Keywords:

Birthday | Brother | Suicide | Game | Fall From Height

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 12

10:30 PM

AMC

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Nicholas Van Orton
Sean Penn	...	Conrad Van Orton
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Christine
James Rebhorn	...	Jim Feingold
Peter Donat	...	Samuel Sutherland
Carroll Baker	...	Ilsa
Anna Katarina	...	Elizabeth
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Anson Baer
Charles Martinet	...	Nicholas' Father
Scott Hunter McGuire	...	Young Nicholas
Florentine Mocanu	...	Nicholas' Mother
Elizabeth Dennehy	...	Maria
Caroline Barclay	...	Maggie
Daniel Schorr	...	Himself
John Aprea	...	Power Executive

MPAA:

Rated R for language, and for some violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Cantonese | English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #35106) | Finland:K-12 | Netherlands:16 | Spain:13 | Brazil:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:M | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

1 Bush Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

David Fincher claimed in an interview in UK film magazine Empire, that there is a can of haggis in every scene of the movie. This was done as a joke, because "Haggis" is the nickname of cinematographer Harris Savides.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Christine's lips are not moving when she delivers one of her lines as she discusses the possible consequences of the "Game" with Nicholas in the car.

Quotes:

Jim Feingold: We're like an experiential Book-of-the-Month Club.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Abre los ojos (1997)

Soundtrack:

Going Out Of My Head

"The Game" is impressive.

Michael Douglas plays Nicholas Van Orton, a wealthy hotshot who works as an investment banker. He also happens to be a stiff, cold-blooded S.O.B. His younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn) gives him an unusual present for his 48th birthday: a gift certificate for Consumer Recreation Services, a company that stages a "game" for its customers that is deliberately kept very vague and mysterious. Shortly after Nicholas has signed up, his life is torn to pieces as he meets one character after another who ought not to be trusted.

This is a decent variation on standard-issue thrillers that manages to remain consistently interesting. It regularly comes up with story twists that I actually liked. It's definitely grim and downbeat, but that goes with the territory of a film directed by David Fincher. Good cast features a couple of veterans, and I have to say that the casting of Douglas and Penn (both fine actors) as brothers gives the film some points going in.

Only problem is, there's one enormous hole in the script near the end and I think anybody would notice it. It kind of hurts the effect of the ending.

Overall, I am glad that I saw it.

8/10