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The Game (1997) - Directed by David Fincher
"Discovering the object of the game is the object of the game."
Every so often, a man's gotta do something unique to really stand out from the crowd. It's a hard thing to do when it feels like all of the ideas have been done before, and it's even harder to do when you're pulling pieces from different stories. In the end, it's sometimes best to let things turn into a real mindwarp so a level of interest can be obtained. David Fincher's The Game is a fairly unique experience with an unexpected and happy (if not underwhelming) ending and a twisting and twisted story.
David Fincher's third film is about a rich investment banker who's brother gives him a voucher for a company that makes unique "life-changing" games for those who apply. But after the game starts, this banker finds himself the center of a series of pranks which soon turn into a scandal involving his friends, enemies, and even complete strangers who are in on it.
The Game is a part of Fincher's history of mindwarps, and the mindwarping starts from the very beginning of the film, similarly to Se7en. However, the build up is much slower than Se7en, a movie that thrills a man from the beginning in a dark and gross way. But the story does manage to get more and more interesting until the very end, where the ending, while happy, doesn't really seem fit for a thriller. A psychological movie? Sure. But not a thriller.
With all of that said, I've never seen a story quite like this. The twists and turns the movie took all felt right, as if there could not have been any more fitting piece in the puzzle. And I'm going to point out that the acting in the movie was nothing short of exceptional. The fear the characters felt, as well as the knowledge and discoveries of the twists and how the characters react seemed authentic. This is one of the most well-acted movies of the 90's. And the dialogue matched. It's actually a very quotable movie when you get down to it.
The only serious complaint I have about the movie is the music. It was dull throughout, and did nothing to help the atmosphere of the film (except for Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit.") Howard Shore has made some incredible music over the years, so I expected much more from him. But it was lame.
The Game is a fun movie for what it's worth, but it's not one of Fincher's best. It makes for a good series of plot twists, like Twin Peaks, but unlike that show, the suspense often gets waned down by underwhelming music and cinematography. For a thriller, it could have been more thrilling, but as a psychological movie, it's fairly well done.
"Discovering the object of the game is the object of the game."
Every so often, a man's gotta do something unique to really stand out from the crowd. It's a hard thing to do when it feels like all of the ideas have been done before, and it's even harder to do when you're pulling pieces from different stories. In the end, it's sometimes best to let things turn into a real mindwarp so a level of interest can be obtained. David Fincher's The Game is a fairly unique experience with an unexpected and happy (if not underwhelming) ending and a twisting and twisted story.
David Fincher's third film is about a rich investment banker who's brother gives him a voucher for a company that makes unique "life-changing" games for those who apply. But after the game starts, this banker finds himself the center of a series of pranks which soon turn into a scandal involving his friends, enemies, and even complete strangers who are in on it.
The Game is a part of Fincher's history of mindwarps, and the mindwarping starts from the very beginning of the film, similarly to Se7en. However, the build up is much slower than Se7en, a movie that thrills a man from the beginning in a dark and gross way. But the story does manage to get more and more interesting until the very end, where the ending, while happy, doesn't really seem fit for a thriller. A psychological movie? Sure. But not a thriller.
With all of that said, I've never seen a story quite like this. The twists and turns the movie took all felt right, as if there could not have been any more fitting piece in the puzzle. And I'm going to point out that the acting in the movie was nothing short of exceptional. The fear the characters felt, as well as the knowledge and discoveries of the twists and how the characters react seemed authentic. This is one of the most well-acted movies of the 90's. And the dialogue matched. It's actually a very quotable movie when you get down to it.
The only serious complaint I have about the movie is the music. It was dull throughout, and did nothing to help the atmosphere of the film (except for Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit.") Howard Shore has made some incredible music over the years, so I expected much more from him. But it was lame.
The Game is a fun movie for what it's worth, but it's not one of Fincher's best. It makes for a good series of plot twists, like Twin Peaks, but unlike that show, the suspense often gets waned down by underwhelming music and cinematography. For a thriller, it could have been more thrilling, but as a psychological movie, it's fairly well done.