The Game Movie Review

The Game (1997)

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Written by: John Brancato & Michael Ferris
Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger, James Rebhorn, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Rated: R
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Plot
A mysterious game invades a man's ordered existence.

Verdict
There's  nothing quite like watching this for the first time. A man is promised a unique birthday present, and he soon doesn't know where the game starts and reality ends. Are people out to get him? Has the game gone too far, or has he long left the confines of the game? This is an action packed thrill ride from nearly the beginning. Few movies put you in the mindset of the protagonist like this one. We're as lost as Nick, scrambling for answers. The movie does a great job of walking this line of being vague but not losing the plot or character arc.
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Review
What do you get for someone that's rich and has everything? Nick's (Michael Douglas) less successful brother Connie (Sean Penn) gives him a gift he describes as a one of a kind experience. Connie states he did it, and it's one of the best things that's ever happened. Nick reluctantly looks into this gift. It's some kind of game from a company called CRS, but the descriptions are cryptic. They won't tell him what it is, but he's put through hours of rigorous mental and physical tests. He even overhears two guys at his club discussing it. They don't reveal much, only more cryptic responses.

Michael Douglas plays Nick

CRS calls Nick, telling him he was rejected. That's when 'the game' begins though it's still unclear what it is. You can quibble on whether a company has this kind of reach and could orchestrate a game of this magnitude. Could the company take over a rescue squad and hospital? It doesn't matter, the movie is about the ride, feelings, and emotions.

Nick meets a waitress, Christine (Deborah Kara Unger), and wakes up late the next day. A hotel has his credit card, claiming he was there last night. It seems Nick had quite a party, but he has no recollection. He doesn't know if it's the game or a spurned business partner. This becomes quite the adventure as Nick puzzles over what is the game, where does it end, and for that matter where does it begin. He discovers his house has been vandalized. Connie appears telling him the game doesn't stop, apologizing for the gift. Nick's life is in danger and the company's office has seemed to disappear.

Could any game or algorithm predict what Nick would do in these various situations? Of course not, but that's the fun and the hurdle the movie asks you to leap.

Michael Douglas plays Nick

Nick finds Christine and discovers she works for the company. She tells him they're being watched, and then CRS guards start shooting at them. Nick is about to leave when Christine tells him she's the only one that can tell him what's really happening. Of course he's going to stick around for that. At the beginning of the movie, Nick was rich though lonely, living a boring life. Towards the end of the movie his life has been turned upside down. He's hitching back into the states from Mexico. He's unhinged at that point but you can't blame him. He finds another CRS office location, intent on revenge.

Few movies put you in the experience with a character like this one. We and Nick wonder what's the game and what's not the game. You never know which end is up. This does finally explain the game, but Nick is so stunned and bewildered he can barely comprehend the experience.