The Game (1997)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

David Fincher

Writers (WGA):

John D. Brancato (written by) &
Michael Ferris (written by)

Release Date:

12 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Players Wanted.

Plot:

Wealthy financier Nicholas Van Orton gets a strange birthday present from wayward brother Conrad: a live-action game that consumes his life.

Plot Keywords:

Birthday | Brother | Suicide | Game | Fall From Height

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 12

10:30 PM

AMC

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Nicholas Van Orton
Sean Penn	...	Conrad Van Orton
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Christine
James Rebhorn	...	Jim Feingold
Peter Donat	...	Samuel Sutherland
Carroll Baker	...	Ilsa
Anna Katarina	...	Elizabeth
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Anson Baer
Charles Martinet	...	Nicholas' Father
Scott Hunter McGuire	...	Young Nicholas
Florentine Mocanu	...	Nicholas' Mother
Elizabeth Dennehy	...	Maria
Caroline Barclay	...	Maggie
Daniel Schorr	...	Himself
John Aprea	...	Power Executive

Also Known As:

El juego (Argentina) (Mexico) [es]
Игра (Russia) [ru]
Al filo de la muerte (Argentina) [es]
Gra (Poland) [pl]
Igra (Serbia) [sr]
Igra (Slovenia) [sl]
Igra (Croatia) [hr]
Játsz/ma (Hungary) [hu]
Jouer avec la mort (Canada: French title) [fr]
O Jogo (Portugal) [pt]
Oyun (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
The Game (Spain) [es]
The Game - Das Geschenk seines Lebens (Germany) [de]
The game - är du redo för spelet? (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
The game - Nessuna regola (Italy) [it]
The game - oletko valmis peliin? (Finland) [fi]
To paihnidi (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated R for language, and for some violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Cantonese | English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #35106) | Finland:K-12 | Netherlands:16 | Spain:13 | Brazil:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:M | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

1 Bush Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

David Fincher claimed in an interview in UK film magazine Empire, that there is a can of haggis in every scene of the movie. This was done as a joke, because "Haggis" is the nickname of cinematographer Harris Savides.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Christine's lips are not moving when she delivers one of her lines as she discusses the possible consequences of the "Game" with Nicholas in the car.

Quotes:

Jim Feingold: We're like an experiential Book-of-the-Month Club.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Abre los ojos (1997)

Soundtrack:

Going Out Of My Head

....and when it was all over, I was blown away

Very few films have captured my attention the way The Game did. Every turn, every corner seemed to have some hint of intrigue and deception. This film would be the life's work for any major film maker, but then again, this David Fincher were talking about.

Years from now, when Fincher is honored with his lifetime achievement award at the Academy Awards, his true fans will always remember this film. It put a whole new twist on the idea of "plot-twist." One of the few films me and my father both liked (we never agree on any film).