My review was written in July 1990 after watching the film on Monarch video cassette.
"The Game", not to be confused with the same-name political drama currently in theatrical release, is a low-budget actioner in the "Most Dangerous Gamer" genre.
Joseph Campanella has been asked by the government to break up a cartel of rich thugs who are holding his son (Craig Alan) prisoner. These stereotypical bigwigs delight in playing Avalon Hill-style board games concerning war, but with live people as the pieces.
Though it takes a couple of reels for the game to commence, pic is interesting enough until an unconvincing finish and pointless "American Graffiti"-styled end credits giving the characters' future histories.
As the he-man star Craig Alan shows promise; he and Campanella reunited to co-star in a Philip Yordan feature "Dead Girls Don't Dance". Darwin Swalve, usually typecast as a goon, has an interesting assignment as an oversize intellectual , but the film wastes the talents of glamorous Cassandra Gave (snow queen in "Conan the Barbarian") in a bit role.
