Not one of Fincher's best. It's an interesting idea, but that ending is just way too unbelievable. Too many things could have gone wrong in the game. My grade: C+.

A good example of a thriller that worked great up until the end. Sean Penn, in a supporting role. was more enjoyable in this movie than in any other I can recall seeing him in.

Yeah, the ending was extremely unrealistic but for some reason worked far better then it should have cinematically. Very solid otherwise. B+

B+


This movie is not a prime example of why David Fincher is one of the best director's alive since it's not nearly one of his best and yet it displays most of the director's strengths of which the most important ones are the incredibly superb cinematography (typical of all of his movies) and an amazingly shocking/surprising twist ending as well as the generally dark and gloomy atmophere paired with some twisted characters as well as a good character study and slight society criticism. All Fincher marks are there combined with an interesting and somewhat unique screenplay.

Michael Douglas shines, but Sean Penn is underused unfortunately. The ending while shocking at first oozes implausibility when you think about it afterwards. There are too many coincidences in this movie. Way too many to be considered realistic. This is why this movie works the best the first time you see it, unlike other Fincher films like Fight Club and Se7en which despite a twist ending improve on each viewing.

The Game is not as "deep" as the two I mentioned above, but it's so much entertainment, it's incredible and thankfully it manages to remain quite clever most of the time. I wasn't too impressed by Deborah Unger, but I guess she did a decent job. Fincher, so far, has made two masterpieces (Se7en and Fight Club), two really good movies (The Game and Panic Room) and one piece of crap (Alien³). I am very excited about the upcoming Zodiac.

***1/2 (out of 4)

Michael Douglas leads a superb cast in this top-notch, original thriller. David Fincher's talent shines, and the picture almost reaches perfection... if only for the somewhat implausible screenplay. This thriller still remains top-notch entertainment and required viewing for anyone impressed with Fincher's other work, or even the noir genre. Dark, upsetting, and twisting, The Game is a quality picture I would fully endorse.

It works really, really well if you don't try to apply too much logic or thought to what happens. The series of coincidences are just too much to put down to fate. It doesn't get too bad, though, until the very end, but it makes for a satisfying ending. Stylishly directed, of course, it's very suspenseful and thrilling and Michael Douglas really drives the film. Sean Penn was unfortunately wasted - only three scenes, I think. A thriller put over the top by its direction.

Even though the ending may not be the best, I appreciated it in the end. A strong, satisfying thriller.

I want to watch this again. When I watched years ago, I disliked it, but perhaps now I can appreciate it more. We'll see.

Probably the most underrated thriller of the 90s. This movie not only looks and sounds amazing, it is just one mindfuck of a film. Like Fincher's followup Fight Club, it's really something you've never seen before. Like Seven and Fight Club, the main plot points of the film are extremely unrealistic, but that's what Fincher is great at. He takes these absolute fantastical situations, and finds a way to make them not only relevant to their audience, but it in turns finds a way to ground even the most absurd in the "Maybe that could happen" category. The intentional dark and gritty realism that is attached can only be rivaled by Kubrick in his prime.

Douglas is absolutely superb, as is the rest of the cast. The cinematography and score also makes you completely immersed in the film. A definite must see not only for Fincher fans, but for movie fans in general.

A+

Douglas is the right actor for the role, and it has fantastic atmosphere and set pieces, but the "cute" house-of-cards quality undermines its value a bit. It is harder to invest upon repeat viewing knowing it will end with everyone having a laugh in a ballroom.