The Game

Let me just tell you that, as a middle aged film buff, I have seen my share of flicks, good and bad. Very few rate as high as "The Game" in entertainment value. "The Game" is most definitely one of the "most fun" movies to hit the silver screen in a long time. Filled with plot twists and turns, this film takes the movie-goer on a psychological roller coaster ride from the tile screens to the final credit roll.

"The Game" is truly an intelligent tale, sort of a brain teaser that you get to watch and listen to, with a time limit. You have just 128 minutes to solve this, and chances are, like me, you'll be hanging on the solution to this puzzle until the very end.

The script was well written by a writer who clearly understands the needs of an adult audience. Yes, we like our fun but we like to exercise our brains once in a while also. And let there be no mistake about the great performances offered here by Michael Douglas and his co-stars. I was engrossed by all and couldn't take my eyes of the screen.

There is plenty for everybody here. Fun for all. A big winner in my book and definitely on my list of all time favorites. Get it and enjoy the ride!

I was hungry like anything when I started watching this movie and that was the only time I felt hungry. 2 hours and 3 minutes passed like you are playing your favorite GAME and could not concentrate anything else. If you think Micheal Douglas is an over rated actor then this movie is enough to prove you wrong. Sean Penn does full justice to his cameo. This is not a movie that leaves you with puzzles after watching unlike many mystery thrillers, instead it solves itself and relaxes your muscles after a rough ride. This is a movie with an engrossing script, excellent acting and flawless direction. If you have not watched this movie yet then PLAY it. You wont regret it all. Entertainment at its best. Now I can have my snacks and you go watch it. 8/10

I remember liking it a lot when it came out and upon recent viewing, it holds up very well. An excellent classic thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

"The Game" took me on one psychological thrill ride after another loaded with twists and turns scene after scene.

Michael Douglas pulled off his best performance as Nicholas Van Orton a man who is approaching his birthday. Upon which he receives an invitation to play a game given to him by his brother Conrad played by Sean Penn. Nicholas reluctantly agrees and soon finds out that the game is more than he bargained for.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film because I never knew who was trustworthy or what was going to happen next, this truly was one film that must be seen by those who enjoy never knowing for sure how a movie will turn out.

"The Game" is all Michael Douglas and how well he pulls off his role of being the innocent who happens to be in the middle of a game he can't control. However, a really good movie can not be pulled off by one actor, a whole lot of credit should go to Sean Penn and Deborah Kara Unger for their convincing portrayals in this film.

Having conquered the critics (and the box-office) with Se7en, David Fincher could have "sold out" and kept delivering more of the same. Fortunately, he was wise enough to try different paths, and although all his movies can be classified as thrillers there's no real similarity between them, except maybe a common theme of alienation and solitude.

In Fincher's third film, The Game, that solitude is physically incarnated by Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas), a wealthy businessman who is so obsessed with his job he has forgotten everything about the simple joys of life. The only person who still stays in touch with him is his younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn), who is Nicholas' polar opposite in terms of attitude. One night, when they're out to celebrate the elder brother's birthday, Conrad mentions a "game" that changed his life and suggests Nicholas participate too, as it would be "fun". Though initially hesitant, the latter eventually gives in to curiosity and decides to give it a shot. Within a few hours, however, he will regret it: the "game" is actually some sort of conspiracy involving everyone in town. With his assets frozen, his apartment no longer a safe place and no one left to trust, Nicholas must figure out how to solve the problem before it's too late - for him or someone else...

As usual, Fincher makes sure the film works on a technical level, cleverly using camera angles, lighting (shades of red and brown being the dominant color) and editing to keep the suspense alive and the atmosphere conveniently murky. It is mainly this masterful handling of film-making tools that keeps the viewer from questioning the logic of the nonetheless brilliant screenplay, some of the twists giving the impression of a dystopic set-up rather than a plausible situation (and yet the script is supposedly based on a real event). Two other elements contribute to elevating The Game above the average mystery tale: a truly unpredictable, phenomenal ending, in pure Fincher tradition (well, at least until he made Panic Room), and the great work by the leading men, Douglas' paranoid desperation slyly erasing all hints of typecasting (after all, this is not the first time he has played someone who is being manipulated; in fact, one scene explicitly spoofs one of those previous movies) and Penn's smug anarchy anticipating director's masterpiece, Fight Club, and its central character, Tyler Durden (without a doubt Brad Pitt's best role to date).

In short, those looking for a "different" cinematic experience should give The Game a try: it might come off as overly cold or contrived at first, but like all of Fincher's movies it deserves a re-evaluation (Fight Club wasn't exactly a hit when originally released) and stands the test of time as one of the most original, smartest films of the '90s.