Review of The Game (1997) by Moviemastereddy — 02 Apr 2016

'The Game': Absurdly Inspired.

You have to hand it to David Fincher, whose elegant direction made a 10 out of "Seven." He performs a similar transformation on "The Game," a mystery thriller that is -- depending on your perspective -- creatively challenging or just plain wacko.

With Michael Douglas in the lead, it’s no surprise that the story stands squarely in the Hollywood character workshop for super-yuppies. As Nicholas Van Orton, he’s a San Francisco investment banker worth millions, whose human relationships are less than liquid. He’s divorced. He’s only occasionally in touch with his kid brother, Conrad (Sean Penn), who has his share of behavioral problems. And thanks to repetitive flashbacks, we learn that, as a child, Nicholas witnessed his 48-year-old father leap to his death. Nicholas lives alone with his father’s housekeeper (Carroll Baker) in a castle-cum-prison of a home. It’s clearly time for this ’90s Scrooge to get in touch with his inner bile and learn valuable lessons about himself and people.

When Nicholas turns 48, his brother gives him a one-of-a-kind birthday present: a gift certificate for CRS, or Consumer Recreation Services. But when Nicholas shows up to CRS’s glass tower office to claim his good time, he’s submitted to a physical exam, and a barrage of questionnaires about his financial status, personal history and hobbies. He’s even asked to provide responses to pictures. ("Woops," says our control freak, looking at a car flying off a cliff.).

Exasperated by the rigorous tests, Nicholas is further mortified to learn that his "application" to CRS has been rejected. And yet, signs come up that indicate maybe he is in the game -- whatever that may be.

Did CNN newsman Daniel Schorr just mention his name on the airwaves? Did that waitress (Deborah Van Unger) purposely spill drinks all over him? And why -- when the waitress is fired on the spot -- does an anonymous waiter slip Nicholas a note which says "Don’t let her get away"? Nicholas is drawn inexorably into a dangerous game where the rules are not apparent, and where he can never tell if he’s being put through a gag or his life is in danger.

"The Game," written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris, is an elaborately constructed crock. But it plays enjoyable, postmodern footsie with the paranoia-infused thrillers of the 1970s, such as "Three Days of the Condor" and "The Parallax View." It’s formulaic, yet edgy. It’s predictable, yet full of surprises. How far you get through this tall tale of a thriller before you give up and howl is a matter of personal taste. But there’s much pleasure in Fincher’s intricate color schemes, his rich sense of decor, his ability to sustain suspense over long periods of time and his sense of humor. And frankly, no one plays a jaded Master of the Universe better than Douglas. There’s something compelling about watching what will happen to him, whether you’re rooting for his redemption or hoping against hope that he’ll hang himself with one of those silk ties.