The Game
Year: 1997
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Michael Douglas, Deborah Kara Unger & Sean Penn
Runtime: 128 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 09/02/23
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Michael Douglas, Deborah Kara Unger & Sean Penn
Runtime: 128 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 09/02/23
‘I envy you. I wish I could go back and do it for the first time, all over again.’
Following the success of Se7en all eyes were on David Fincher to deliver another dark, gritty, and original crime thriller in that mould. But his third feature, and one of his most overlooked efforts, 1997’s The Game, proved to be a departure in a lot of ways from what people had expected from Fincher following Alien 3 and Se7en, but despite this Fincher managed to retain his trademark unpredictability with The Game’s wildly twist filled story.
Investment banker Nicholas van Orton (Michael Douglas) is estranged from his ex-wife, loathes his younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn), and is haunted by the visions of his father’s suicide at forty-eight. Now on his forty-eighth birthday Nicholas receives an invitation from Conrad to a ‘game’ specially designed for him by a company called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). But when Nicholas’ life begins to rapidly spiral out of control he is caught up in a fight for survival as he becomes hunted by CRS representatives.
Investment banker Nicholas van Orton (Michael Douglas) is estranged from his ex-wife, loathes his younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn), and is haunted by the visions of his father’s suicide at forty-eight. Now on his forty-eighth birthday Nicholas receives an invitation from Conrad to a ‘game’ specially designed for him by a company called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). But when Nicholas’ life begins to rapidly spiral out of control he is caught up in a fight for survival as he becomes hunted by CRS representatives.
The Game is really a film that only works on the first viewing, as once you get the whole picture most of the fun disappears on subsequent rewatches. As such I’ll do my best to avoid any kind of spoiler for those who haven’t seen the film, and despite what I’m going to say in this review I do think it’s worth checking out because of how Fincher expertly crafts such wonderful tension and misdirection.
I watched The Game for the first time around seven or eight years ago and back then I felt kind of indifferent towards the film, and the ending really didn’t land for me. I therefore considered it one of his weakest films. Returning to it now, older and wiser, I still think that, and I do feel that’s mostly because I know how everything plays out. However, I do have a greater appreciation for many parts of the film which I previously just shrugged off.
Michael Douglas’ performance for example is excellent, and this goes for the majority of the cast too. He brings so much range to a role that could be so incredibly one note, and whilst Nicholas is the cold-hearted investment banker that feels like the world is out to get him for the majority of the film, it’s subtle signs in Douglas’ physical performance that allow us an insight into how Nicholas is really thinking and feeling regardless of what he’s saying.
For the majority of the film Nicholas is accompanied by Christine (Deborah Kara Unger), a woman who’s constantly being shuffled from one low-income job to the next. Rather than pairing Nicholas up against someone who’s his total opposite, Christine is every part his equal except financially. I really liked this, because they have the same kind of outlook on life and attitude towards things, but with the fundamental difference being that Nicholas feels this way in order to protect his wealth, and Christine feels like it because she feels like she deserves more than she has. She allows Nicholas to open up because he can understand the way she sees the world, despite her experiences being significantly different to his own.
I watched The Game for the first time around seven or eight years ago and back then I felt kind of indifferent towards the film, and the ending really didn’t land for me. I therefore considered it one of his weakest films. Returning to it now, older and wiser, I still think that, and I do feel that’s mostly because I know how everything plays out. However, I do have a greater appreciation for many parts of the film which I previously just shrugged off.
Michael Douglas’ performance for example is excellent, and this goes for the majority of the cast too. He brings so much range to a role that could be so incredibly one note, and whilst Nicholas is the cold-hearted investment banker that feels like the world is out to get him for the majority of the film, it’s subtle signs in Douglas’ physical performance that allow us an insight into how Nicholas is really thinking and feeling regardless of what he’s saying.
For the majority of the film Nicholas is accompanied by Christine (Deborah Kara Unger), a woman who’s constantly being shuffled from one low-income job to the next. Rather than pairing Nicholas up against someone who’s his total opposite, Christine is every part his equal except financially. I really liked this, because they have the same kind of outlook on life and attitude towards things, but with the fundamental difference being that Nicholas feels this way in order to protect his wealth, and Christine feels like it because she feels like she deserves more than she has. She allows Nicholas to open up because he can understand the way she sees the world, despite her experiences being significantly different to his own.
The Game is also completely unpredictable, and this is why it works so much better on a first viewing in comparison to re-watches. Douglas was quoted as saying it was one of his favourite films to work on because you could never tell what was going to happen next, and you had no idea how it was all going to end. Fincher is a true master of suspense in The Game, and even the most seasoned of thriller fans are unlikely to work out exactly what’s going on until the big reveal in the finale. Every single step of the way Fincher has designed The Game to play out against expectations, and it's fantastic for that first viewing.
On a re-watch though is where the cracks begin to show. Plot holes and contrivances are plentiful when you know how it all ends, and for events to play out the way they do would require an unthinkable and unmanageable amount of puppetry from the one pulling the strings. It relies so much on luck for Nicholas to do the things he does in order for things to play out the exact way the mastermind behind it has orchestrated it to be that what was thrilling the first time around becomes tedious on a second time through. Like a sleight of hand magic trick, the first time seeing it you’re amazed and had no idea what was going to happen, but once the magician has shown you how it’s done the illusion fades and it becomes routine.
I also really don’t like the ending. I can’t go into it too much without spoiling things, but aside from it relying on far too much luck, it’s unimaginably cruel. Whilst The Game may lack the grit and grime present in a lot of Fincher’s other work, rest assured it’s his cruellest film by quite a considerable margin. I understand the point the ending makes, I mean it’s kind of hard to miss it, but if I were in Nicholas’ shoes, I’m not sure I’d want to carry on living following that ending.
On a re-watch though is where the cracks begin to show. Plot holes and contrivances are plentiful when you know how it all ends, and for events to play out the way they do would require an unthinkable and unmanageable amount of puppetry from the one pulling the strings. It relies so much on luck for Nicholas to do the things he does in order for things to play out the exact way the mastermind behind it has orchestrated it to be that what was thrilling the first time around becomes tedious on a second time through. Like a sleight of hand magic trick, the first time seeing it you’re amazed and had no idea what was going to happen, but once the magician has shown you how it’s done the illusion fades and it becomes routine.
I also really don’t like the ending. I can’t go into it too much without spoiling things, but aside from it relying on far too much luck, it’s unimaginably cruel. Whilst The Game may lack the grit and grime present in a lot of Fincher’s other work, rest assured it’s his cruellest film by quite a considerable margin. I understand the point the ending makes, I mean it’s kind of hard to miss it, but if I were in Nicholas’ shoes, I’m not sure I’d want to carry on living following that ending.
The Game doesn’t feel like a Fincher film in its aesthetics either. Whilst the lack of grit is certainly a surprise coming off the back of Alien 3 and Se7en, and when you consider Fight Club followed this it’s even more of a surprise, but what I really mean is that I don’t see a lot of Fincher’s signature stylings in this film. It doesn’t have the same clean and refined shots or editing that typify other Fincher films, and even the score doesn’t have that hard edge or mystery to it that his other films do. In fact, out of Fincher's entire filmography, The Game’s musical score, composed by Howard Shore, is perhaps the least memorable.
If you’re after an engaging thriller you can certainly do a lot worse than The Game. If you’ve never seen it then it’s a ride quite unlike any other thriller you’ve ever seen. But once the smoke and mirrors lift to reveal the mechanics behind it The Game becomes a film you’ll likely never want to return to, and at least for me, leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It’s certainly not bad, but it’s not great, and compared to Fincher’s other excellent offerings it’s not surprising to me that it’s one of his most overlooked films.
If you’re after an engaging thriller you can certainly do a lot worse than The Game. If you’ve never seen it then it’s a ride quite unlike any other thriller you’ve ever seen. But once the smoke and mirrors lift to reveal the mechanics behind it The Game becomes a film you’ll likely never want to return to, and at least for me, leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It’s certainly not bad, but it’s not great, and compared to Fincher’s other excellent offerings it’s not surprising to me that it’s one of his most overlooked films.