Review of The Game (1997) by Timothy S — 30 Aug 2014

It has been said about a lot of different things that getting there is half the fun, and in the world of cinema, "The Game" is the best example of that I can think of. In fact, as far as this movies goes, getting there is all the fun.

Director David Fincher set the bar impossibly high with his last feature "Seven," so whatever he chose for a follow-up would almost assuredly be a disappointment. There is, however, a lot to like here. It's a gloriously twisted, highly improbable and yet wildly entertaining thriller that is also one of the more of a psychologically manipulative experiences that I've had in a while.

It's intensely enjoyable watching Fincher build his house of cards, a delightfully intricate masterwork admittedly held together by some pretty flimsy and preposterous coincidences, and that makes it all the more tragic when the whole thing collapses in the final minutes. The ending zig zags a few times before everything becomes apparent, and the final twist is something of a let-down. In all honesty, there may not have been a way to wrap the film up satisfactorily, but you have to think that such creative minds as the ones involved in this picture could have come up with something better than this.

I suppose you can at least say there's nothing predictable about any of it, and Michael Douglas gives yet another strong lead performance in basically the same role he's made a career out of playing. "The Game" is a great film when you don't know where it's headed, and when all is revealed, it's late enough in the game that it doesn't spoil the fun too much. It's a beautifully crafted thriller.