The Truth Game

I liked The Truth Game; I think it was pretty good. Basically a bunch of late20somethings meet at someone's house and have dinner and talk and talk and fight and find themselves in fairly compromising positions...Given that the 'action' (ie: dialogue) takes place all in one house over a pretty real time line, I think it's a testament to the director and the actors that the film is pacy and never dull. I guess it's as much a testament to the script aswell (also by director Simon Rumley) that everything that's said is believable and interesting. There's quite a rawness, a frankness to the script which at times doesn't make for easy viewing. In some respects this is made harder to take due to the amount of similarly raw humour which is hard to define because it doesn't fall in line with any particular type of comedy BUT there is a lot of funny stuff here.

Probably what makes this film so unusual and, in my opinion, successful is that it has an honesty and integrity that is lacking in 99% of British films; it's not trying to be anything that it isn't, it isn't pandering to ideas about what 'sexy' films should be like or what audiences want. It just presents itself and it's up to the audience to accept it and live with it or not; interestingly most the characters have fairly severe flaws but this makes for more interesting viewing than watching the clearly defined good guy slug it out with the clearly defined bad guy. I also like the fact that it uses new actors 'cos there must be a helluva a lot around and frankly I for one have got bored of watching the kids from Trainspotting/Human Traffic etc appear in every other British film.

So yeah, nice one.

The Truth Game, the middle film in Simon Rumley's trilogy about young Londoners at the turn of the Millennium, was in fact the final one to be written and, in places, it seems as though this could be a problem. Rather like Tarantino's Jackie Brown, Rumley's third film as writer is an odd mixture of greater maturity but less care. It has neither the originality of Strong Language (= Pulp Fiction) nor the pace of Club Le Monde (Reservoir Dogs) but nonetheless remains an exceptional piece of writing and an interesting, occasionally hilarious film.

The premise is laughably simple - six friends meet up for dinner and, despite being best mates, all lie to each other - but it is the execution that is fascinating: the camera is, in best docu-soap tradition, an unflinching fly-on-the-wall that ensures that the audience as aware of every lie and every unfaithfulness each of the characters commits.

It is fair to say that the characters are pretty unlikable but, like an episode of Eastenders, that is part of the grim fascination. Everyone has cheated on everyone else and they all suspect it - the tension is palpable from the opening scene onwards. Indeed, it is safe to say that "fascinating", rather than "fun" or "enjoyable", is the best way of describing the experience of watching this film.

Rumley's expert scripting (which, like Strong Language, seems quasi-autobiographical) is not quite matched by his directing which, whilst mostly good, falters in a couple of places. However, being an enclosed, ensemble-piece, the film is made or broken on the quality of the performances. In all but one case, these are excellent: intense yet natural.

It's not Rumley's best but as a companion to his other films, The Truth Game is indispensable.

The Truth Game is an excellent example of British film making on a low budget. Set in London in the modern day has fine examples of acting dealing with emotive issues regarding relationships and friendships. The humour is sometimes controversial / dark and the language, though often strong is strikingly realistic. I found myself laughing at things that would normally be frowned at, but that is the skill of the script writing. The plot moves fast enough to keep your interest and the direction makes you feel that often you are part of the action.