This TV movie's international pedigree intrigued me; it's an Italian television production, shot in English, and filmed briefly in London and mainly in Kenya. It's a rather cheap and cheerful production but it does tell a fairly interesting story about a hit-man going undercover in Africa to bring down a target and the British tour guide he hooks up with.
Surprisingly, for a TV movie, this is a rather gory affair with some bloody squib hits throughout and other adult situations. It's also rather goofy, with cheap and occasionally inept staging, but the authentic location photography helps to make up for this. I was particularly interested in watching because Michele Massimo Tarantini writes and directs, and he's been working since the 1970s with a career that includes WOMEN IN FURY and MASSACRE IN DINOSAUR VALLEY.
The protagonist is played by the lithe Luca Ward, who I found to be quite convincing as a grizzled hit-man. Bryony Afferson plays the tour guide and is less assured; it's quite obvious to anyone watching that she's not the most experienced of actresses, but I nonetheless found myself warming to her as the story progresses and she's certainly a rather striking redhead. Overall, though, THE African GAME is a rather cheesy and silly thriller, and it doesn't work all that well despite the potential of the premise.
