The Game
Category
Mystery
Director
David Fincher
Cast
- Michael Douglas
- Sean Penn
- Deborah Kara Unger
- James Rebhorn
- Peter Donat
Release Date
12 September 1997
Synopsis
Nicholas Van Orton is someone you'd envy. He has a home fit for a king, he's got millions in his bank account, and he has people cowering in fear. But his life will one day change when his well-meaning brother gives him a birthday surprise on his 48th birthday. He's given a gift certificate to something called CRS - Consumer Recreation Services - that offers a game that's sure to change his life. Van Orton is suspicious as he is made to go through very rigorous tests just to participate in this game, designed to follow the events in his life. But just when he thought that he didn't meet the criteria for playing this game, the tables are turned on him - the game has begun and he doesn't have a clue about what's happening.
David Fincher, the man behind crime and mystery flicks like Seven and Fight Club, offer his audiences a different twist to the mystery genre of film. Straying from the conventional action flicks of violence, gore, explosions, drugs, and other stereotypes, he decides to take the character of Nicholas Van Orton, well-played by Hollywood great Michael Douglas, and put a spin to the typical thriller. Van Orton faces different challenges, as he loses one by one the pieces of his life that he so carefully and ruthlessly worked hard for and put together. Audiences will wonder when the game will end, as Van Orton seems to continue going on a downward spiral. He narrowly escapes each ordeal, only to find himself caught in yet another tight scrape. It's difficult not to feel pity for Michael Douglas, even if earlier he seemed to be a ball-busting, no-nonsense kind of guy. And just when he thought he could get out and save himself, another twist is thrown at him. Will he act desperately and finish it all or will he win this game? Fincher entertains us once more with a new kind of action-mystery, and gives us a surprise ending that will provoke you into thought. After taking you for a ride, The Game leaves you exhilarated yet contented.