IMDb user comments for
The Game (1997) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 38:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Index

374 comments in total

---

108 out of 131 people found the following comment useful :-
An intelligent tale from start to finish., 5 March 2001

Author: The Record Guy from New York, USA

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!

---

104 out of 131 people found the following comment useful :-
As gripping as it gets., 2 August 1998

Author: Benzzo from Grand Rapids, MI

Whether you love it or hate it, The Game definitely will not bore you. By far the most engrossing movie I've ever watched. I saw this on the big screen and throughout most of this masterpiece I kept asking myself, "where is this movie going?" For 128 spirited minutes The Game takes your mind and twists it ruthlessly, contorting it in any way it so desires. Michael Douglas is the perfect actor for this role, he played it flawlessly. I love this movie, it's definitely one of my personal favorites.

---

63 out of 86 people found the following comment useful :-
Impressive movie, 5 February 1999

Author: Ásgeir Örn Nordquist (geiri100@hotmail.com) from Kópavogur, Iceland

Nicholas Van Orton, a successful businessman lives a good life until an unexpected birthday gift from his brother destroys it all. Nicholas has been enrolled in a game - "a profound life experience" that begins quietly but soon erupts in a rush of devastating events. Van Orton has to win this deadly game or lose control of everything in his life. And this time money and power are meaningless. This is a suspense/thriller, that does manage to hold one's attention. The film stars Michael Douglas and Sean Penn. Deborah Kara Unger (David Cronenberg's "Crash") turns in a fine supporting roll as well. Davd Fincher, director of Seven and Aliens 3, continues to set high standards for motion picture making. This lastest entree of Fincher's does not lose a beat in delivering the maximum impact of the story. This movie will get into your head. It will keep you guessing the whole time. If you don't give this movie a chance you'll never know what you missed.

---

69 out of 101 people found the following comment useful :-
....and when it was all over, I was blown away, 18 April 2002

Author: Agent10 from Tucson, AZ

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).

---

35 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
Michael Douglas at his very best, 25 April 2000
Author: Michael Hollywood

"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.

---

34 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
"The Game" is impressive., 11 September 2003

Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

Michael Douglas plays Nicholas Van Orton, a wealthy hotshot who works as an investment banker. He also happens to be a stiff, cold-blooded S.O.B. His younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn) gives him an unusual present for his 48th birthday: a gift certificate for Consumer Recreation Services, a company that stages a "game" for its customers that is deliberately kept very vague and mysterious. Shortly after Nicholas has signed up, his life is torn to pieces as he meets one character after another who ought not to be trusted.

This is a decent variation on standard-issue thrillers that manages to remain consistently interesting. It regularly comes up with story twists that I actually liked. It's definitely grim and downbeat, but that goes with the territory of a film directed by David Fincher. Good cast features a couple of veterans, and I have to say that the casting of Douglas and Penn (both fine actors) as brothers gives the film some points going in.

Only problem is, there's one enormous hole in the script near the end and I think anybody would notice it. It kind of hurts the effect of the ending.

Overall, I am glad that I saw it.

8/10

---

43 out of 64 people found the following comment useful :-
Just when you got the plot, it turns upon you, 30 July 2001

Author: Martin Krogh-Poulsen from Lund, Sweden

This has to be one of the more interesting psychological thrillers made recently. Just when you think you got ahold of the plot it changes! Playing with "the implicit viewer" this movie has a tendency to constantly surprise and redefine itself in relation to the "expectancy horizon". What a wonderful positive redefinition of "Seven", culminating in a refinement of the human nature and at the same time leaving the viewer with a subtle taste of the "rosicrucian initiation" in the mouth.

Definitly worth a view!

---

26 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
Play to the End of Your Life, 10 August 2005

Author: Bogmeister from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The Game weaves its way into and around your brain, challenging you to figure out the puzzle. It's a rather unique film experience because of that no-holds-barred challenge - it challenges you to figure out what's coming next, in a direct way not many other films attempt. It's a thinking person's film; whether it's actually intelligent or not probably depends on the individual, but I'd like to think it's pretty smart. Also pretty smart is the character played by Michael Douglas - business smarts, that is. Douglas was near the end of a roll playing businessmen, began in Wall Street(87). He becomes involved with an odd company, CRS, introduced to him by his younger brother (Sean Penn in a small role). What begins as amusing distraction for his orderly world soon turns sinister.

The film points out that people, especially smarter people whom you'd think don't need amusement, all need some kind of distraction. Isn't that what we're all doing essentially during our lifetimes - finding different means of distraction before the inevitable end? And aren't those distractions just a means to avoid thinking about that end? Douglas may be closer to that end than he thinks here. As the toying escalates and becomes dangerous, the viewer may think this has the makings of a slick, if standard, thriller, but that's not the case, to everyone's credit. You reach a point, however, when certain incidents demand suspension of disbelief, no matter how much you trust the filmmakers. How far can a man fall, for example, before you start to think there's a limit of how much I can buy into here? How much can be allowed, how much power can you allow for the puppeteers before a line is crossed? It crosses that line with me towards the end but reaching that point was an interesting experience, something I can say about too few films.

This was Fincher's middle film in his personal great trilogy, caught between "Se7en" and "Fight Club." If there's one other minor quibble I might voice, it's that his stylistic flourishes are missing in this one - it's comparatively straightforward, even with the Super-8 type flashbacks, and I would have to rate this a smidgen below the other two. However, if I had to pick one to watch over and over, it would be The Game.

---

30 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
A Great Movie, But Wholly Implausible, 2 November 1999
Author: Mike Colpitts (bushleaguer@comcast.net) from Boxborough, MA, USA

I love David Fincher, he is definitely one of the greatest directors of all time. "Alien 3" was a dark and brooding visual take on the series, and I personally think it was an excellent installment. "Seven" is the best dark thriller/serial killer movie ever made. "Fight Club" is a hilarious and bloody roller coaster ride, my personal favorite of Fincher's movies. And, of course, let's not forget "The Game". I had heard really negative things about this movie, so I skipped out on the theater experience (I kick myself to this day). I waited until it came to Showtime, but even then I loved it. It's an excellent mystery/thriller that never really lets up once it starts going. The acting is excellent all around and the script's got some pretty good dialogue and characters. The main quirk I have with this movie is its believability factor. On your first viewing, you won't notice it too much, but you begin to notice it more and more with each subsequent viewing. There's things that just don't make sense, things that CRS couldn't possibly have controlled. It's not just good enough to suspend disbelief with this movie, you have to sever it completely. Once you do that, you should enjoy this movie as I have and continue to do.

---

21 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Hitchcock Would Be Proud--If it Didn't Have So Many Darn Plot Holes..., 11 April 2003

Author: MovieAddict2009 from UK

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Conspiracies. Films tend to be made about conspiracies and mysteries. Everyone has conspiracy theories that they put in movies ("JFK," "Conspiracy Theory"). "The Game" is a different kind of conspiracy. It is about an entire organization holding something against one man. Only a few people know about this organization and what it does in the movie, it seems. But if only a handful of people know about the organization, how could it possibly get booming business? That's one of the many, many plot holes that "The Game" seems to have. It just has too many plot holes to save itself. It has a pretty good plot, good acting, good directing...even a good script...but the plot holes in the script cause the problems.

Michael Douglas plays a rich businessman, whose birthday is coming up soon. Sean Penn, his younger brother, tells Douglas that he (Penn) has bought a present for Douglas called "The Game." Douglas goes to the location of The Game Headquarters (it has a name but I can't remember right now), and there he finds out that The Game Headquarters must test Douglas' health before they activate it (The Game). They ask him questions, do health tests...all of this going to use later...and then Douglas goes to dinner. At dinner, one thing leads to another and pretty soon things start happening. A hysterical Penn tells Douglas that he didn't have enough money to pay for The Game, and now The Game is coming after him. So now Douglas is caught up in this conspiracy which he may never get out of alive. Because now they're coming after him. Blackmail is only the beginning of what they'll do to Douglas.

First of all, "The Game" has a nice setup. I really enjoyed the beginning. It holds a great sense of suspense, and seems to be filmed effectively, in a very suspenseful way. It has all the markings of a Hitchcockian thriller. Unfortunately, Hitchcock would have ironed out the plot holes before he filmed the movie, because despite being a suspenseful film, the plot holes are unbearable, kind of negating all the suspense and belief in the film.

SPOILERS

First of all, how does The Game know that Douglas is going to do everything he does? They're betting an awful lot that he will jump off the building at JUST the right spot to crash through JUST the right glass (if you've seen the film you'll know what I mean). I can't exactly go into the entire film--it would spoil the entire thing--but the plot holes in the movie are just too obvious. They are literally betting on every step Douglas will take, and while they have people to help him make decisions along the way, there are times that he is by himself...how do they know, in a moment of despair, he will not try to put a gun to his head?

At the end (major spoiler ahead), Douglas stands on the edge of a skyscraper with a gun. They make it look as though Douglas has just shot his brother (by accident). Douglas, on the verge of a mental breakdown, walks to the edge of the skyscraper and jumps. Here are two things.

1. How did they know Douglas wouldn't just lift the gun to his head and blow it off? Why jump off the building? Yeah, I know, that's what his father did and therefore Douglas would do the same--but what if he hadn't? If I were Douglas' character, just because my father jumps off a building doesn't mean that that would be my decision of effective suicide.

2. What if Douglas had jumped off the wrong point of the building? What if he all of a sudden, before anyone could do anything, he decided to run off the other end of the building? And even if he jumped off the building at the right point, what if a) the wind (there could be some strong gusts from that high up) blew him away from his destination, and b) from that speed, even fake glass would cut him up IF he reached his destination.

That's one of the things that got me, but really, the whole sake of the film lies on what Douglas will do. What if Douglas shot himself early on? What if the shock of thinking he killed his brother gave him a heart attack? What if he didn't get out of the underwater taxi and drowned? What if? If I were The Game, I wouldn't bet that much on a suicidal man.

---

---

Page 1 of 38:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Plot synopsis	Amazon.com summary
Ratings	Awards	Newsgroup reviews
External reviews	Parents Guide	Plot keywords
Main details	Your user comments	Your vote history