Tag: The Assassination Game

Considering that every bad 80's slasher movie ever made seems to have a cult following these days (including, God help us all, the Sleepaway Camp trilogy), I find it highly ironic that a well-made, suspenseful, and entertaining film like this is now virtually forgotten. TAG has a great premise. It has some great b-movie talent including Robert Carradine, Bruce Abbot, erstwhile porn starlet Kristine DeBell, and a young Linda Hamilton. It was even directed by Nick Kastle, the man who played the Shape in the original Halloween. The problem with this movie, no doubt, was that, much like the original Halloween, it contained little blood and gore. After Friday the 13th in 1980 this was just not permissible (Halloween itself probably would have sunk like a stone had it been released five years later). So this great little movie is forgotten today while pointless dreck like Sleepaway Camp lingers like an unflushed turd in a poorly ventilated bathroom. There's just no justice in the world.

Underrated Pretty good for a B movie.

Mixing in the comedy is what made it a fun movie. If it had been made as a pure thriller , then it would have sucked. Just as most in the 21st century do

Jay.

The first thing I notice when I watch "TAG" is that the film seems to have been made on TV tape....it has that feel. Sound and lighting are basic, and it's clear from the outset that this movie was made on a shoestring budget.

It is the acting that brings this film through. Linda Hamilton studied Lauren Bacall very closely, and makes a credible run at a "To Have and Have Not" moment, and Robert Carradine hams it up as a budding ace reporter. Bruce Abbott is darkly psychotic as the bad guy. Hard to believe that Linda married this guy!

Worth a look at least once, if you can find it.

Overall, I thought this movie was OK. Seeing Linda Hamilton in an early role was fun, as was the premise. This movie came out during the height of "assassination" games where you try to "eliminate" someone you've been assigned to, without that person knowing you're after him/her. Of course, someone is looking to eliminate you, too.

If you want a fun movie to eat popcorn with, check this one out.

The execution of "TAG: The Assassination Game" may be primarily comical and light-headed, the concept is extremely ingenious and would easily lean itself for a harsh and disturbing thriller. It's actually quite regrettable that writer/director Nick Castle (an acolyte of John Carpenter, which is made clear through many details throughout the film) opted for the more comical and all-revealing approach, as you can't help thinking this premise held a lot more potential. "TAG" is the name of a game organized on campus grounds and it's a gigantic hype in universities all across the USA. The participating students dispose of toy guns and receive the profile of another participant together with the assignment to "kill" them. Of course one of the players, who can't stand losing too well, takes the game a little serious and starts taking out his targets with genuine bullets. Most of the film, however, revolves on the game circuit of the lovely Linda Hamilton, as well as on her romance with the school newspaper journalist Robert Carradine), so it takes an awful long while before anyone ever realizes there's a crazed killer on the loose. "TAG" isn't exactly suspenseful, since the identity of the killer is never kept secret and – let's face it – someone going completely bonkers over losing a stupid college game isn't very convincing. There's also a severe lack in body count and the murders themselves aren't very spectacular. Still, it's a fun idea and the film has a few highly memorable moments and eccentric characters, like Carpenter (see the link?); the creep who keeps hold of the score. Linda Hamilton looks beautiful and very sexy in this one, although she smokes like a chimney unfortunately, and it's also the debut film of Bruce Abbott (Re-Animator).