Master of the Game

I had the pleasure of watching an uncut copy of this movie and was pleasantly surprised. I have to say if you ever get a chance to watch this movie do it. Sorry that this was so short but This movie it the Master of the Game and exactly that.

I guess I must have at least 10 lines for this thing to go through so I guess I better talk about the movie a bit.

While in the beginning it runs a little slow it does suck you in deep. I found that after about the first 30 min it gets so mind tangling you just cant stop watching.

I was very fascinated with the Game that was chosen and how the chain of events followed through. I was in fact very pleased with watching this movie and would recommend it to anybody that is interested in a good mind F&@k.

well thats it for now have a nice day.

Decided to see this at the last minute at San Diego Film Fest. So glad I did. The story is a mind bending thriller that kept me glued to my chair. Well acted, beautifully directed and amazingly written.

The story concerns a Jewish prisoner in WWII that escapes the hands of the Germans while in transit to a concentration camp, only to be trapped in an isolated cabin with four German soldiers.

The soldiers torture and keep him alive for their amusement. Before things get worse the prisoner challenges these soldiers to a bizarre mind game. Once the game begins it becomes one of the greatest mind trips I've ever seen. A must see indie flick.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff Stolhand at the Austin Film Festival a few years ago after the screening of his first feature film, "Seeking Cafe Bob". It was a delightful film that ended up winning the Best Screenplay/Best Film Award. Since then I have followed Stolhand's progression as a filmmaker from "What I Like About You," which had a successful screening at Slamdance, to his most recent feature, "Master of the Game".

Despite the cleverness and freshness of Stolhand's previous two films, I was not prepared for the most compelling film that I have seen this year. "Master of the Game" is a delightful display - beautifully shot, powerfully acted, and has the wit and clandestine plot of a David Mamet thriller. Shot on the new HD 24P camera that filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez and George Lucas are now using, the interior shots have the warmth of film.

I do not want to give away any of the plot, so I will not specify any scenes, but Uygar Aktan's script is almost poetic in its narrative - a script that an actor would have to love, with longer prose and emotion found only in laudable play adaptations like "Twelve Angry Men" or "Inherit the Wind" - great films that are all but extinct in today's fast paced genres. And the actors chew the scenery with magnificent adeptness and emotion, giving wonderfully nuanced performances. Prince, in particular, conveys a calculated coldness that is reminiscent of Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List".

But the consummate genius has to be Stolhand's interpretation of the material. Stolhand capitalizes on the intimacy and claustrophobia of the situations without letting the prose feel stagnant. His shots and camera angles are inventive without distracting from the characters. And the overall presentation has a big-budget look and feel. I look forward to following his promising career and would love to see what he is capable of producing with a multimillion dollar budget.

I felt I had to write a review to counter the exorbitantly excessive other reviews on this site that spurred me to see this movie in the first place. Most people will not find this movie a "thriller", an "intriguing journey", "ingenious", or "riveting". I think most people would find this movie boring and ridiculous.

It starts out with a promising premise: in trying to escape, a Jewish concentration camp prisoner ironically comes upon an abandoned camp in the woods that just happens to be housing a group of Nazi soldiers isolated by the inclement weather. In order to delay his execution, he proposes playing a mind game, which the bored soldiers agree to. It's from here that the story falls apart. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say that although the "game" is set up to be a clever psychological ploy, it ends up falling flat, playing out like a staged play, with the behavior and reactions of the soldiers utterly scripted and unrealistic. Holes like Swiss cheese - you know the drill. Don't bother.

I really didn't know what to expect going into the theater. I had read a review by Chris Gore and thought I'd give it a shot. Well, I'm so glad I did. I was riveted from the start. The slow reveal of a Jewish prisoner at the start of the film was visually stunning - it punctuated the theme that just one person can make a difference.

I am the type of person who gets distracted easily, but I can honestly say I lost total track of time watching this movie. I was totally drawn in by the "game," an intellectual game of cat and mouse. The superb direction keeps the tensions high, and even though most of the film occurs in one cabin, there is never a dull moment - both visually and storywise.

I would highly recommend this movie. It was beautifully shot and directed. The acting was great and the characters were all compelling. One other note - the music was both haunting and passionate. I would love to own the soundtrack.

This is by far the best movie I've seen all year. It really made me do a lot of thinking. I know that a movie has really done its job when I'm still thinking about it days later. I've been so frustrated with all the much-hyped Hollywood pictures this year, that this was a totally refreshing and rewarding experience.