Compare Prices
Postage & Packaging: £1.​21
Postage & Packaging: £0.​00
Postage & Packaging: £0.​00
SHOPPING > DVDs > Thriller & Mystery > The Game (DVD) > Reviews

The Game (DVD)

from (4 offers) · Product Information

The Game (DVD)

Quote-start

play away

Quote-end

4 May 4th, 2006  (Mar 21st, 2007)

53 Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful

Advantages:
brilliant plot twists

Disadvantages:
not as good 2nd time around

Recommendable Yes:

Detailed rating:

Did you enjoy it?

Story

Characters / Performances

Special Effects

How does it compare to similar films?

earlofaldgate

earlofaldgate

About me:

Now i have made my first million from Ciao i am going to take it a bit easier

Member since:05.02.2006

Reviews:66

Members who trust:46

Outline
----------

Nicholas van Orton is a millionaire banker, a loner and somewhat depressed as he approaches the age that his father committed suicide. His brother, the black sheep of the family, appears out of the woodwork to give him his birthday present, a unique tailor made experience provided by CRS (consumer recreation services). Sceptical, Van Orton signs up and the rollercoaster ride begins........

After a physical & a few psychological tests Van Orton signs a release form and the film kicks off, his game begins with what seems to be a series of slightly sinister pranks.Van Orton, being somewhat humourless decides he's has had enough and returns to CRS's office to tell them to stop only to find it has disappeared along with the contents of his bank account.

A man appears to fall down dead in front of him, a taxi locks him in and drives him erratically around the city, he's drugged and wakes up on the Mexican border.These are just a few of the bizarre occurrences that plague him in the next few days. Twist follows twist up until the final climactic scene - I cant say much more without giving away the story.

Opinions
-------------
Released 2 years after seven (se7en), the Game was the 2nd film I had seen by director David Fincher and I wasn't disappointed. Its quite a dark film, like seven, lots of rainy night scenes & poorly lit rooms, even in Van Orton's luxury mansion. The first 20 minutes of the film is a little slow as you get to know Douglas' character, depressed, worried about his forthcoming 48th birthday you see flashbacks of him as a child watching his father commit suicide at the age of 48. he is successful but worried that is life is empty after his divorce. Quite basic scene setting so far, no surprises.

I think clowns are good for shock/creepy value! there, I have said it (see killer klowns from outer space if you don't believe me). The first sign that the game has started is a clown puppet in Van Orton's driveway laying in the position his father was in when he jumped to his death. To me this was the only spooky part of the film, the rest of the plot is more akin to conspiracy theory (Mel Gibson) or Spanish Prisoner(Mamet) but with a sprinkle of humour -

Van Orton loses a shoe climbing up a fire-escape - "There goes a thousand dollars" , "Your shoes cost a thousand dollars?" , "That one did."

Douglas is good, well, better than in Romancing the stone anyway, more like his Gordon Gecko character in wall street but with a slightly less icy heart. The idea of the game is that you learn things about yourself and as the film closes you realise that Van Orton has become a better person, he seems to have moved on from the death of his father and realised that life is for living. Not surprising really after the final twist, you will have to watch it to find out what (not quite a '6th sense' but I definitely didn't see it coming)

You will need to suspend your disbelief especially on a 2nd watch as there are a few plot holes but I have seen this around 5 times now and still enjoy it. We had a saying in our house when we watched films/TV shows like this "if it was me, I would just have to let them get me", Douglas seemed to have an inner strength to tap when thrown into an alien situation which wasn't really believable in a merchant bankers character,maybe I am wrong ( I expect to hear from dozens of wanna-be James Bond merchant bankers now!). Overall the acting is good but the characterisation tends to concentrate on Douglas' character more than anyone else.Similarly with the soundtrack, unmemorable except for white rabbit(Jefferson Airplane) which I think can make any scene haunting.

Overall, maybe one to rent rather than buy.

Tagline: The object of the game is to discover the object of.... The Game

Director: David Fincher (seven, Fight club)

Producers: Cean Chaffin & Steve Golin

Starring: Michael Douglas (Wonder boys, Falling down,Basic instinct), Sean Penn (Carlitos way, 21 Grams), Deborah Kara Unger (Stander, crash)

Runtime: 123minutes (2 hours 3 minutes)

Certificate: 15

Cinema Release: October 1997

DVD Release: March 1998

and for some reason the 10 year anniversary DVD is out May 2006.  
Pictures of The Game (DVD)
The Game (DVD) Picture 3572339 tb
the clown ooooooohhh

How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines

exceptional

very helpful

helpful

somewhat helpful

not helpful

off topic

Products you might be interested in »

Spooks - Series 1 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)

Spooks - Series 1 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)

Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner

User reviews (7)

Buy now for only £ 9.49

Sherlock Holmes - The Definitive Collection (Box Set) (DVD)

Sherlock Holmes - The Definitive Collection (Box Set) (DVD)

Mystery - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce

User reviews (1)

Buy now for only £ 14.01

The Transporter (DVD)

The Transporter (DVD)

(+) Brilliant fight sequences
(-) A good but occasionally weak storyline which can rely on the action a bit too much

User reviews (5)

Buy now for only £ 2.10

The Miss Marple Collection - Starring Joan Hickson (Box Set) (DVD)

The Miss Marple Collection - Starring Joan Hickson (Box Set) (DVD)

Mystery - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Joan Hickson

User reviews (2)

Buy now for only £ 34.85

Murder In Mind (Box Set) (DVD)

Murder In Mind (Box Set) (DVD)

Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet

Rate it now

Buy now for only £ 0.65

Columbo - Series 3 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)

Comments about this review »

Craigshadow12 27.07.2007 03:40

Great review. Top quality!, Craig :♥D

octavio.teixeira 30.04.2007 08:40

Nice review on a great movie.

eve6kicksass 25.04.2007 01:07

I love this film, another winner from David Fincher....a well written, influential op there...Chris :)

Compare prices for The Game (DVD) »

1 to 4 out of 4 offers for The Game (DVD)   sorted by: Price 
The Game [DVD] [1997]

The Game [DVD] [1997]

It's not quite as clever as it tries to be, butThe Gamedoes a tremendous job of presenting ... more

the story of a rigid control freak trapped in
circumstances that are increasingly beyond his
control. Michael Douglas plays a rich, divorced,
and dreadful invest...

amazon marketplace dvd

Postage & Packaging£1.21
AvailabilityUsually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
 Visit Shop  >
amazon marketplace d...
The Game

The Game

Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a shrewdly successful businessman who is ... more

accustomed to being in control of each facet of
his investments and relationships. His
well-ordered life undergoes a profound change,
however, when his brother Conrad (Sea...

LOVEFiLM.com

Postage & Packaging£0.00
AvailabilityIn Stock
 Visit Shop  >
LOVEFiLM.com
The Game-DVD

The Game-DVD

thehut.com

Postage & Packaging£0.00
AvailabilityIn stock - Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
 Visit Shop  >
thehut.com


Similar »

Spy Game (DVD) - review by andrew007

Advantages: you must see to find out
Disadvantages: none

Spy Game (DVD) - review by andrew007 andrew007 31.10.2002 (31.10.2002) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Spy Game (DVD)

Still Game - Series 1 (DVD) - review by RyanC92

Advantages: great comedy
Disadvantages: only episodes and no extras on the DVD

Still Game - Series 1 (DVD) - review by RyanC92 RyanC92 11.02.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Still Game - Series 1 (DVD)

Countdown Game (DVDi) - review by Sbriers1

Advantages: In keeping with the classic TV show. Fun and educational. Entertaining.
Disadvantages: Don't get to choose the letters or numbers. Rounds repeat too often.

Countdown Game (DVDi) - review by Sbriers1 Sbriers1 23.10.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Countdown Game (DVDi)

The Game Plan (DVD) - review by Great_reviewer07

Advantages: Great fun for all the family
Disadvantages: Some silly moments

The Game Plan (DVD) - review by Great_reviewer07 Great_reviewer07 08.03.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Game Plan (DVD)



Are you the manufacturer / provider of The Game (DVD)? Click here