Surviving the Game (1994)

Director:

Ernest R. Dickerson

Writer (WGA):

Eric Bernt (written by)

Release Date:

15 April 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Jack Mason knows he's going to die someday. But today he's not in the mood.

Plot:

Mason, who lives on the streets, wants to cease his life when on the same day his two best friends die:...

Plot Keywords:

Mountain | Blood | Washington State | Man Hunt | Fire

Cast

Ice-T	...	Jack Mason
Rutger Hauer	...	Thomas Burns
Charles S. Dutton	...	Walter Cole (as Charles Dutton)
Gary Busey	...	Doc Hawkins
F. Murray Abraham	...	Wolfe Sr.
John C. McGinley	...	John Griffin
William McNamara	...	Derek Wolfe Jr
Jeff Corey	...	Hank
Bob Minor	...	Security Guard
Lawrence C. McCoy	...	Hotel Clerk
George Fisher	...	Taxi Driver
Jacqui Dickerson	...	Taxi Passenger
Victor Morris	...	Homeless Father
Frederic Collins Jr.	...	Homeless Child
Steven King	...	Mercedes Driver

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | Iceland:16 | Canada:R (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Germany:18 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Entiat, Washington, USA

Company:

David Permut Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: After Mason jumps in the river and swims downstream, he discovers his cigarettes are still dry. This despite the fact he was completely submerged and his clothing was drenched.

Quotes:

[Mason and Hank has just stolen some meat]
Security Guard: Well-well, I finally caught your ass.
Hank: We're just hungry, partner. Give us a break will ya?
Jack Mason: Yo man, we don't want no trouble, we'll give it back!
Security Guard: To hell with giving it back! It's already been contaminated with your filth! Somebody's going to PAY!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kicking and Screaming (1995)

Good Movie, But Could Have Done Better

This was New Line Cinema's 1994 response to Universal Picture's 'Hard Target'(1993). Though the character development and plot played out much better and the movie reviews prove this is the better movie to watch, it is no doubt that it is very close in story line to the Van Damme film.

A Seattle strung out alley man, down on his last stroke of will is given an opportunity to bring his life around in finance and come out on top for once. The catch is he is to be in the company of a group of poachers on a trip away from the mainland. The Seattle man agrees and is greeted with mostly open arms at a private cabin somewhere in the open Pacific wilderness. He finds out the next day he's to run for his life or end up as a formaldehyde trophy head.

The action is quite intense and brings into play thoughts of what a person might try to do if they were put into the same position.

Using an excellent cast and a decent story development this movie is definitely one worth renting a few times or even adding to your video collection.