A review by Brooks Rich
I can't believe I haven't discussed David Fincher on this blog yet. I'm also impressed this is the movie I'm choosing for his first coverage on here because Se7en is one of my all time favorite movies, I argue the best crime thriller of the '90s, and Alien 3 is a cinematic disaster with a fascinating history. But instead we're discussing The Game, a deeply under appreciated film in Fincher's filmography and one of the best movies about paranoia ever made.
Michael Douglas is Nicholas Van Orton, a wealthy man who is about to turn the age his father was when he committed suicide. His brother Conrad, played by Sean Penn, gives him an unusual gift, an appointment with a strange company called Consumer Recreation Services, who sell Nicholas on an interactive experience, basically where his life is turned into a game. But as the game goes on Nicholas begins to wonder exactly how on the level CRS is and what their final goal is as they seemingly pick his life apart piece by piece. There's a lot of twists and turns and we never know what or who to trust. All of it leads up to a startling ending.
Speaking of the ending of this film, without spoilers, some people might hate this movie because of it. I did the first time I watched it. I totally get it. I do. If you say I hate The Game because of the ending, you're not wrong. But if you buy into it, if you let the movie get its hooks into you, it totally works.
Like I said this one of the best films about paranoia ever made. There comes a point in the film where Douglas doesn't know what is real anymore and can't trust anyone. It seems CRS is everywhere and we as an audience feel his fear and paranoia. We watch his world come apart at the seams and CRS insidiously insert themselves into his life. They always seem to be one or two steps ahead of him and he can't find a way out.
Fincher is a master at the camera and there's never a wasted shot. Every moment feels important and every choice deliberate, in all his films. Well ok, maybe not Alien 3. No one else but David Fincher could make a movie like The Game, like no one else but David Fincher could adapt Fight Club or make Se7en. Track down The Game if you haven't seen it. Some of you will be turned off by the ending but some are going to absolutely love it.
I can't believe I haven't discussed David Fincher on this blog yet. I'm also impressed this is the movie I'm choosing for his first coverage on here because Se7en is one of my all time favorite movies, I argue the best crime thriller of the '90s, and Alien 3 is a cinematic disaster with a fascinating history. But instead we're discussing The Game, a deeply under appreciated film in Fincher's filmography and one of the best movies about paranoia ever made.
Michael Douglas is Nicholas Van Orton, a wealthy man who is about to turn the age his father was when he committed suicide. His brother Conrad, played by Sean Penn, gives him an unusual gift, an appointment with a strange company called Consumer Recreation Services, who sell Nicholas on an interactive experience, basically where his life is turned into a game. But as the game goes on Nicholas begins to wonder exactly how on the level CRS is and what their final goal is as they seemingly pick his life apart piece by piece. There's a lot of twists and turns and we never know what or who to trust. All of it leads up to a startling ending.
Speaking of the ending of this film, without spoilers, some people might hate this movie because of it. I did the first time I watched it. I totally get it. I do. If you say I hate The Game because of the ending, you're not wrong. But if you buy into it, if you let the movie get its hooks into you, it totally works.
Like I said this one of the best films about paranoia ever made. There comes a point in the film where Douglas doesn't know what is real anymore and can't trust anyone. It seems CRS is everywhere and we as an audience feel his fear and paranoia. We watch his world come apart at the seams and CRS insidiously insert themselves into his life. They always seem to be one or two steps ahead of him and he can't find a way out.
Fincher is a master at the camera and there's never a wasted shot. Every moment feels important and every choice deliberate, in all his films. Well ok, maybe not Alien 3. No one else but David Fincher could make a movie like The Game, like no one else but David Fincher could adapt Fight Club or make Se7en. Track down The Game if you haven't seen it. Some of you will be turned off by the ending but some are going to absolutely love it.
Comments
Post a Comment