05/17/2013 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Mysterious and suspenseful!

“I was drugged and left for dead in Mexico - and all I got was this stupid t-shirt"

Nicholas Van Orten (Michael Douglas) is a self-important, officious, extravagantly wealthy financier banker who has always been a loner. On his 48th birthday, the same age when his father committed suicide, he receives a mysterious gift from his younger brother named Conrad (played by Sean Penn) - a ticket for something known as 'The Game.' Nicholas' curiosity is peaked and he signs up for the game at CRS, Consumer Recreation Services. He does a day's worth of testing and then is told that CRS couldn't make a game for him. Shortly after that he finds himself in a real life game where he is the victim of fraud, his house is broken into, there are attempts to kill him and his brother is committed. Van Ort...

Rating of
3/4 

05/04/2012 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

A Near Masterpiece

The Game is a first-rate thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end. Michael Douglas is superb in his role as investment banker Nicholas Van Orton, a role undoubtedly inspired by Douglas' Oscar winning turn as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. In fact, the viewer can hardly conceive of another actor play the part. Sean Penn fans will be sorely disappointed as his role is quite small (but crucial) as he plays the brother (and family screwup) Conrad Van Orton. The rest of the supporting cast is filled out by several character actors, including James Rebhorn, perhaps the epitome of all character actors, the guy you know, but cannot name.

Overall, the film is very ambitious. Some of the scenes are masterpieces and David Fincher is right at home directing this paranoid film an...

Rating of
3.5/4 

02/20/2012 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

"The Game" by Yojimbo

Businessman Michael Douglas is powerful and wealthy but joyless and emotionally distant, so his mischievous younger brother Sean Penn buys him a part in a "game" that quickly spirals out of control. David Fincher's follow up to Seven contains the same brooding, dark atmosphere and slick visuals as you'd expect, and his assured direction combined with the perfectly cast Douglas compliment an intriguing premise. The story constantly wrong foots you as you are never quite sure what is "real", and it makes for a very interesting off beat concept for a thriller. Unfortunately, The Game's script is one of those that just does not know when to stop and gets a little too twist happy for its own good. Upon the first twist in the tale, I was enjoying the film immensely. When the second came along, ...

Rating of
2.5/4 

10/10/2011 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

The Game review

Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a wealthy investment banker who lives in a very big house but is a loner. His brother Conrad (Sean Penn) gives a birthday gift, a voucher for Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Nicholas is accompanied by Christine (Deborah Kara Unger) to find out the creator of “the game.” Daniel Schorr – “Discovering the object of the game is the object of the game.” The cinematography, acting and score were good. Michael Douglas really showed his emotions here while Penn so realistic with his performance. Its premise was unique, unbelievable though since life is gambled in certain situations. The intentions were good since Nicholas learned from the game, that he needed to spend time with his ex-wife thru phone, be more sensitive to the feelings of others,...

Rating of
3.5/4 

01/11/2010 (0 of 0 found this helpful)

Fantastic Thriller Film

The Game - one of the best thriller movies I've ever seen.

The story for The Game is not only unique, but fantastically orchestrated. Fincher almost out-did himself with this story, making a believable, interesting, unique story that really pulled through in the end. Although I'll never have the same look for the movie again after finishing the tale, I'll always love this film. The angles of the shots, the actors within the frame, everything is just wonderful.

Along with Fincher's wonderful cinematography is a great cast that makes their characters shine on screen. Each character is really brought to life through emotions, action, and most of all, each other. The amount of work that had to go into making these characters really helps pull the movie together, making The Game one of t...

Rating of
4/4