Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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44 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligent Thriller, May 22, 2003
What happens when you are a powerful multi-millionaire and have everything you ever wanted? While you and I might think this situation is highly desirable, for Nicholas Van Orton, played by Michael Douglas, it is very boring. In fact, you might say that Nicholas is miserable. However, Nicholas' brother Conrad Van Orton, played by Sean Penn, has bought Nicholas a gift for his 48th birthday, an invitation to play "The Game".From this point forward the movie drags for what seems forever. I was beginning to regret watching this movie. Looking back, though, I now know that this beginning helps us to more fully understand how boring and awful Nicholas' life is, and further provides an excellent contrast with what happens later in the movie. Nicholas is in a very upscale restaurant when a waitress (Deborah Unger as Christine) spills wine on his shirt. Christine is fired by the restaurant manager and leaves, very upset. Before you can say white rabbit, a waiter rushes by Nicholas' table and drops off a note that tells Nicholas' to follow the girl. Prepare for the roller coaster ride. Within moments Nicholas finds himself involved with an apparently dying man, then just as quickly he finds he is being chased by the police, and police dogs, and things just get worse and worse. The list of things to which Nicholas is subjected is too long and would leave you with no surprises. Nicholas tries to figure out how to make all the action and events to which he is being subjected stop. Nicholas can't handle the loss of control. Further, the chaos of his experiences seems to follow no pattern or order. Eventually Nicholas gets back to where he thinks it all began for a showdown with the characters that he has discovered are actors. The ending had me stunned and amazed. You'll have to watch for yourself. There are several lapses in credibility, but unless you are an obsessive control freak (sort of like Nicholas Van Orton, for instance) you'll likely consider the lapses minor. This movie ultimately is an intelligent thriller that relies on action only when necessary to heighten Nicholas' fears and to pull him deeper into what begins to seem like a deeply nefarious conspiracy. After watching, this movie became one of my favorites, and I've now seen it several times. The most difficult part of this movie is the relatively slow first part. However, have patience; what you learn in the first part helps you to understand Nicholas and to be drawn more fully into his situation. Sympathy with Nicholas and his situation is highly desirable to fully appreciate the end of the movie. I was sympathetic, and enjoyed this movie. 5 stars for an intelligent thriller that relies on intelligent plot versus guns, fast cars and special effects.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
left my friends and i awake thinking, March 16, 2000
The Game was directed by Fight Club director David Fincher and in many ways it prepares the viewer for the twists and turns of Fight Club. Michael Douglas as control junky investment banker Nicholas Van Orton is given an invitation to "the game" by his younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn). Before Van Orton knows it the game has started and it takes him on journey where he is in the dark so to speak and he never really gets out of it until it is over. Other reviews have said that it has no sense of humor, this movie doesn't need one. it's mysterious and intellectual strength is more than enough to keep most people fixed to it. Others have said that the ending is anticlimactic. If one cannot appreciate the ending of this movie, they haven't been paying attention. If you want a movie that makes you think, this movie is for you. my friends and i started it sometime after midnight a couple years ago and we didn't sleep for an hour after it was done because it made us think that much. the movie buff will not be disappointed.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprise, surprise! A great thriller!, October 13, 2000
Once in a while you come across a great thriller. To accomplish this you have to have a great story line, superb acting and cinematography, a generous budget and an excellent styling consultant so that everything's just perfect. And The Game has all these aspects. A wealthy financier (Michael Douglas) who has apparently everything and is bored with life gets a surprise birthday gift from his brother (Sean Penn): the participation in a very interesting and intense game. It is one of these movies that is unpredictable for the most part with action scenes that will take your breath away. The ending is unique and an unpredictable surprise and it gives the movie the final edge to classify it as one of these rare top-rated thrillers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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1.0 out of 5 stars
The Movie Is Great..However...
First of all, "The Game" is an awesome and exciting thriller of a movie. I highly recommend checking it out.
However..
Published 1 month ago by Bluzfan1
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Nicholas Van Orton in Acrylic ...
Now apply heat to the canvas ...
Some of the best storytelling, historically, starts off with a quick preface of sorts that gives some foreshadow or insight...
Published 1 month ago by Steffan Piper
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A story of personal transformation
Reading some of the reviews here what seems missing is what I believe is the essential theme of this work --- personal transformation.
Published 2 months ago by W. Banker
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5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my Top 10!!!
I love this movie! Fascinating, thought provoking, twisting, and unique. I really enjoy watching it again just to think about the whole concept and if I missed anything.
Published 3 months ago by Consumer in Hotlanta
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie
This is a great film that will keep you on the edge of your seat almost through out the whole movie.I don't want to go in to the movie because it will give it away.
Published 4 months ago by Charles Interrante
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5.0 out of 5 stars
What a thriller
Anything with Michael Douglas is great, but this is a real thriller and who-dun-it! It will keep you guessing until the end. A "best buy" as far as I'm concerned.
Published 5 months ago by L. Bachert
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Thew Game
The product was received in excellent condition and the movie dvd was also in excellent condition.
Published 5 months ago by Bill Kraft
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The ending tells it all.
Great movie! Most of the reviews indicate that most people see this as a movie about a man who plays life changing wild game given as a gift from a brother who also benefited from...
Published 7 months ago by Samssisters
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4.0 out of 5 stars
suspend disbelief and enjoy
Michael Douglas completely dominates "The Game", with nobody else, even Sean Penn, appearing in major minutes.
Published 10 months ago by T. Burket
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Fincher's sort of prequel to Fight Club
In the Game director David Fincher would introduce many of the same themes he would expand upon in his next film Fight Club.
Published 12 months ago by Richard Ross
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