Review of The Game (1997) by Andrew M — 03 Apr 2016
In a word, David Fincher's The Game is "polarizing." This is a film that necessitates a suspension of disbelief to truly work: recognizing that the concept is absurd will boost the film, and taking the concept too seriously will hurt the film.
The film has its intense and chilling moments, especially as Michael Douglas' Nicholas Von Orton discovers more and more about the mysterious events unfolding around him, but they often seem too sparse.
The in between moments are drawn out, and lack the gravitas of the more thrilling scenes. Michael Douglas makes for a solid lead, but Sean Penn is horribly underused and underdeveloped. The real hero of The Game is David Fincher's stylish sense of direction, which really comes to play during the thrilling sequences, and really highlight the best the legendary director is capable of.
It's not his best work by any means (it's definitely no Se7en, Fincher's previous film), but for what it's worth, The Game is a mostly thrilling mindbender.
This review of The Game (1997) was written by Andrew M on 03 Apr 2016.
The Game has generally received very positive reviews.
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