Master of the Game

I managed to catch what I believe to be the premiere of this film at SXSW 2002. It caught my interest because it was filmed completely in and around the new Austin Studios here in Texas using high definition video. I'm glad I heard of it. It is the story of an American Jewish soldier who, after being captured and sent on his way to a death camp, escapes with several other Jewish prisoners only to end up taking shelter in the cabin of four Nazi soldiers. But this is just the beginning. When they find themselves stranded in the cabin for an uncertain amount of time, the American soldier challenges the Nazis to a game of wits for which they are not prepared. By the end of the game, his goal is to have them believe that HE is their superior. Well written and filled with excellent acting, it kept me quite interested. However, while I can say that the situation the characters were in did not completely hold the suspension of disbelief, I can also say that these were some of the best argumental dialogues I've heard in quite some time. On top of that, its an excellent example of how good high definition video can look and how we should all be paying more attention to indie cinema or anything that isn't another big budget, underwritten, remake of some sort from Hollywood.

See this one. It goes on your list of movies to see with someone who will have a beer with you later and talk about it for two hours. It's a visual harmonic and 3-D mental chess game. Delving into the dark reaches of the human brain it pits several highly evolved Homo sapiens in a game of survival in the middle of a war which would keep Darwin wondering about it for years. The dialogue is all in English which detracts nothing from the movie. The contest between several Nazi captors with an appropriately evil officer in charge and their lone Jewish-American prisoner is close mental combat in the valley of death. Someone will do a stage play of it, and should.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff Stolhand at the Austin Film Festival a few years ago after the screening of his first feature film, "Seeking Cafe Bob". It was a delightful film that ended up winning the Best Screenplay/Best Film Award. Since then I have followed Stolhand's progression as a filmmaker from "What I Like About You," which had a successful screening at Slamdance, to his most recent feature, "Master of the Game".

Despite the cleverness and freshness of Stolhand's previous two films, I was not prepared for the most compelling film that I have seen this year. "Master of the Game" is a delightful display - beautifully shot, powerfully acted, and has the wit and clandestine plot of a David Mamet thriller. Shot on the new HD 24P camera that filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez and George Lucas are now using, the interior shots have the warmth of film.

I do not want to give away any of the plot, so I will not specify any scenes, but Uygar Aktan's script is almost poetic in its narrative - a script that an actor would have to love, with longer prose and emotion found only in laudable play adaptations like "Twelve Angry Men" or "Inherit the Wind" - great films that are all but extinct in today's fast paced genres. And the actors chew the scenery with magnificent adeptness and emotion, giving wonderfully nuanced performances. Prince, in particular, conveys a calculated coldness that is reminiscent of Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List".

But the consummate genius has to be Stolhand's interpretation of the material. Stolhand capitalizes on the intimacy and claustrophobia of the situations without letting the prose feel stagnant. His shots and camera angles are inventive without distracting from the characters. And the overall presentation has a big-budget look and feel. I look forward to following his promising career and would love to see what he is capable of producing with a multimillion dollar budget.

I just recently saw Master of the Game, and I was very impressed. I really enjoy a movie that makes me think - and assumes I'm smart to begin with - and this movie did just that. I was totally taken in by the psychological manipulations so subtly carried out by the main character, a Jewish American known only as his tattooed number, 3264.

The movie has great rhythm and slowly and methodically draws the audience member into its mental web. I found myself silently cheering on 3264 as he reduced his captors to mush. The acting in this movie is spot on as is the direction. Although I've never heard of the director until now, I'm certain we'll be seeing more from him. He handles some very tough- to-watch scenes with great sensitivity. And although some will find this movie to be very violent, the violence befits the subject matter, and the movie would certainly suffer without it. To be honest, quite a bit of the violence is inferred, not shown, which is quite a bit more effective.

This is a smart, conversation-provoking film. I would highly recommend it. I'm not sure how long it's playing in Manhattan, but if you have a few free hours, definitely give it a look.

This WWII story of a Jewish captive who uses only his wits to turn the tables on his German captors is a fresh look at both the WWII movie and the thriller genre. About ten minutes into the film is a horrific shock that was not only unexpected, but totally set the mood for the life or death struggle for the rest of the film. (I would give more detail, but don't want to give anything away.) The acting was top notch and the director set a dark moody tone throughout the film that keeps you wondering what will happen next. It's refreshing to see a film that is gripping and makes you think!