The "manhunt" action/suspense premise may perhaps be nearly as old as cinema itself, but it's also one that practically always guarantees a bloody good time! I've seen several film versions of the hunting-humans concept and loved them all; except for one (the abominable 60's bore "Bloodlust!"). Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack's original 30's classic "The Most Dangerous Game" undoubtedly remains the greatest version, but I particularly love how there exist numerous variations on the theme, like an excessively violent one set on a futuristic prison island ("Blood Camp Thatcher") or a super-sleazy one where they exclusively hunt scarcely dressed girls (Eddie Romero's "The Woman Hunt"). "Surviving the Game" is a rather rudimentary re-working of the premise, but nonetheless a very effective one with a downright awesome cast listing and a handful of genuine shocks. Jack Mason is an embittered and suicidal homeless man who loses his last will to live when both his dog and best friend in one day. The sly businessman Thomas Burns lures Mason to the wilderness with a false job promise, but instead he and his maniacal rich friends simply intend to hunt down Mason like an animal and kill him for sports. Mason may be suicidal, but he still wants to decide for himself when he dies, and so he successfully fights back. "Surviving the Game" is quite a gruesome and nihilistic-toned film; definitely not for people with vulnerable stomachs. The violence is pretty gratuitous and served without any form of morality, but what else do you expect from a B-movie. As indicated above, the film's main trump is the cast and particularly because each and every cool actor depicts a marvelously eccentric character. I can't even pick a favorite performance between F. Murray Abraham (as a sinister Wall Street big shot), Gary Busey (as an out-and-out deranged FBI psychiatrist), the overacting John C. McGinley (as a frustrated hunter with a vengeance) or of course Rutger Hauer as the mega-bastard. Ernest Dickerson formerly a skilled cinematographer does an admirable job directing his first long feature and he went on making the vastly entertaining Tales from the Crypt movie "Demon Knight". The forestry filming locations are impressive, the story doesn't contain any dull or unnecessary padding sequences and the level of suspense is continuously kept high. I don't know about you but that's everything I look for in an action movie.
79 Reviews
It's Mason!
TheScottman5 February 2006
I like this movie, it's not the best action movie, but is very good. The movie doesn't have the best acting and the writing and the beginning is so-so, but it picks up and gets a lot better as the movie goes on. If you ever feel like watching a solid action movie, I say pick this one up. Or if you just want to watch crazy Gary Busey act like Gary Busey.
This movie is about a homeless man (ICE T) that loses everything twice. Then takes a job with some business men (Rutger Hauer and Charles S. Dutton) to help hunt in a isolated place. Ice T soon finds out that they are hunting a deadlier game...
This movie is well worth the rental fee. You might surprise yourself and like it.
This movie is about a homeless man (ICE T) that loses everything twice. Then takes a job with some business men (Rutger Hauer and Charles S. Dutton) to help hunt in a isolated place. Ice T soon finds out that they are hunting a deadlier game...
This movie is well worth the rental fee. You might surprise yourself and like it.
An enjoyable slice of steaming 90's cheese
cjmccracken6 May 2012
In one of our local video store chains, if a movie was considered morally objectionable it was emblazoned with a huge yellow sticker which proclaimed that it was 'Strictly over 18's'. To me, as a youngster, this was like showing a light bulb to a moth. By the time 'Surviving the Game' was released, I was already a seasoned Ice-T and Bodycount fan and so would happily devour any of the nonsensical films which he would associate himself with (a trait which still exists to a certain degree, albeit somewhat diminished at this stage – thanks a lot 'Leprechaun In Da Hood'). Those yellow stickers never failed me; they drew me to movies such as the Tom Savini remake of Night of the Living Dead (1990), Body Melt (1993) and Bad Taste (1987). The peculiar thing about 'Surviving the Game' was that it was only classified with a 15 certificate in the UK, but as I was growing up in Ireland and they had just introduced their own film classification system (one which still prohibits the release of many, many titles today*) one can only assume that they were being extra vigilant.
Such vigilance, however, was not displayed by any staff members at any of my frequented VHS rental outlets and so I was pretty much free to choose whatever I wanted and on one fine day I took the afternoon off school and retreated to my abode to wallow in some Ice-T based goodness.
I regret none of those actions and this all came flooding back when I re-watched STG last week. The first thing that struck me was the plethora of character actors on show, Charles S. Dutton, Ernest R. Dickerson, F. Murray Abraham, Gary Busey, Jack Mason, John C. 'Dr Cox' McGinley and Rutger Hauer all come out in force as a group of hunters in pursuit of the deadliest game of all man.
The man in question is Jack Mason (Ice-T) a man battling his demons to the extent that he has lost everything, his wife, his child, his home. Now living rough on the streets of Seattle, he even loses his best friend when his dog is run over by a careless taxi driver in the first few minutes of the movie. The altercation with the driver brings Mason to the attention of Walter Cole (Dutton), a man posing as a charity worker, but who is in reality a recruitment officer for Thomas Burns (Hauer), an entrepreneur who facilitates the immoral bloodlusts of the rich and ethically vacuous Mason is brought to Burns' offices whereupon he is offered a job (with very little details provided), he reluctantly accepts and before he knows it, he's held up in a remote cabin in the wilderness with half a dozen of the most peculiar characters you're likely to see share a dinner together. It doesn't take long before their motives are made clear and Mason is cast out on his own, given a small head start before being tracked by the hunters.
Guess what? The hunters soon become the hunted and the tables get well and truly turned. OK, so it sounds dreadful and in many ways, it is. Yet, it is so enjoyably dreadful that you soon find yourself letting go and immersing yourself in Mason's plight. There is an intensity and a unique self-awareness which makes this stand out from similar movies and eventually, this makes this a remarkably endearing viewing experience.
It's violent without being excessively so, it has just the right amount of humour to maintain a suspension of disbelief and by the time comeuppance is delivered, you'll be cheering along. It was refreshing to see a strong African-American lead actor at the time and whist one wouldn't go as far as to call it ground-breaking in any sense of the word, that fact is certainly notable. Ice-T is quite far removed from his hip-hop persona and suits the crusty, dreadlocked role very well. Hauer and Busey are typically and wonderfully bonkers and the support of Abraham and McGinley are both worthy additions.
It was a pleasure to be reminded of a time when action movies could be so enjoyable and when character actors would partake in the movie without dominating it. Admittedly, the rush that I got for simply acquiring it wasn't there this time, but I think that was due to the lack of the yellow sticker.
Read more reviews at zombiehamster.com
Such vigilance, however, was not displayed by any staff members at any of my frequented VHS rental outlets and so I was pretty much free to choose whatever I wanted and on one fine day I took the afternoon off school and retreated to my abode to wallow in some Ice-T based goodness.
I regret none of those actions and this all came flooding back when I re-watched STG last week. The first thing that struck me was the plethora of character actors on show, Charles S. Dutton, Ernest R. Dickerson, F. Murray Abraham, Gary Busey, Jack Mason, John C. 'Dr Cox' McGinley and Rutger Hauer all come out in force as a group of hunters in pursuit of the deadliest game of all man.
The man in question is Jack Mason (Ice-T) a man battling his demons to the extent that he has lost everything, his wife, his child, his home. Now living rough on the streets of Seattle, he even loses his best friend when his dog is run over by a careless taxi driver in the first few minutes of the movie. The altercation with the driver brings Mason to the attention of Walter Cole (Dutton), a man posing as a charity worker, but who is in reality a recruitment officer for Thomas Burns (Hauer), an entrepreneur who facilitates the immoral bloodlusts of the rich and ethically vacuous Mason is brought to Burns' offices whereupon he is offered a job (with very little details provided), he reluctantly accepts and before he knows it, he's held up in a remote cabin in the wilderness with half a dozen of the most peculiar characters you're likely to see share a dinner together. It doesn't take long before their motives are made clear and Mason is cast out on his own, given a small head start before being tracked by the hunters.
Guess what? The hunters soon become the hunted and the tables get well and truly turned. OK, so it sounds dreadful and in many ways, it is. Yet, it is so enjoyably dreadful that you soon find yourself letting go and immersing yourself in Mason's plight. There is an intensity and a unique self-awareness which makes this stand out from similar movies and eventually, this makes this a remarkably endearing viewing experience.
It's violent without being excessively so, it has just the right amount of humour to maintain a suspension of disbelief and by the time comeuppance is delivered, you'll be cheering along. It was refreshing to see a strong African-American lead actor at the time and whist one wouldn't go as far as to call it ground-breaking in any sense of the word, that fact is certainly notable. Ice-T is quite far removed from his hip-hop persona and suits the crusty, dreadlocked role very well. Hauer and Busey are typically and wonderfully bonkers and the support of Abraham and McGinley are both worthy additions.
It was a pleasure to be reminded of a time when action movies could be so enjoyable and when character actors would partake in the movie without dominating it. Admittedly, the rush that I got for simply acquiring it wasn't there this time, but I think that was due to the lack of the yellow sticker.
Read more reviews at zombiehamster.com
Modern version of the Most Dangerous Game, where a human is hunted for sport.
Brad K.6 August 1998
Entertaining movie, especially for the fans of the short story, The Most Dangerous Game. Rapper/Actor Ice-T (Richochet, New Jack City) is a homeless man hired by a bunch of rich people to help them in their hunt. Soon he realizes that he is the prey. The rich hunters are led by Rutger Hauer (Nighthawks, Mr. Stich). The hunters are equipped with different types of guns and smaller vehicles, while Ice-T is forced to use his street smarts to beat them in the secluded wilderness. The other hunters include Gary Busey (Point Break, Lost Highway), F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus, Mimic), Charles S. Dutton (Rudy, Alien 3), and John McGilney (The Rock, Nothing To Lose). This is a fast paced movie, although the first half hour is mainly character development for Ice-T. It is very entertaining, the script's dialogue is fairly poor, but who cares in an action movie. Ice-T does a good job at making you want him to win. Rutger Hauer, Charles S. Dutton, F. Murray Abraham are all good at being evil, but the best performance of the bad guys is John McGilney who has an extra reason to want to kill a homeless man. The movie is a solid hour and a half of entertainment, but don't be expecting anything more.
Solid, entertaining thriller, but for action fans only
lemon_magic20 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The brilliant short story "The Most Dangerous Game" has inspired and spawned so many movies that there ought to be an official sub-genre for it - maybe something like "MDG movies" or "MO-DA". There must be dozens out there: the original "The Most Dangerous Game", "The Hunted", "Mean Guns", "Bloodlust", etc. "Among the most energetic and involving in the genre are John Woo's update, "Hard Target", and this movie, "Surviving The Game", which also capitalizes on the idea of "hunting homeless people for sport".
STG was my first introduction to Ice T as an actor, and I have to admit that I was impressed. He plays his role with a nice mixture of toughness, sadness, misery, and humor, and he does it with hardly a false or unconvincing note in the entire movie. Some of the credit may go to the screenplay, because he was pretty stiff in "Mean Guns", but he holds center stage here like a natural.
The rest of the cast is also quite strong, with Rutger Hauer and Charles Dutton especially giving convincing, memorable performances. The characters they play are human monsters, but they enjoy themselves so much, take such glee in their roles as "mighty hunters", that the repulsiveness and ugliness of what they are doing almost takes a back seat to the "strategy and tactics" war games they play with their prey. Almost. But it takes a special talent to invest these yuppie scum with energy and charisma to keep them interesting, and the director and actors all deserve kudos for what they pull off here.
Here's the strength of the screenplay - You come to understand that Ice T's character is actually quite shrewd and resourceful and is a born survivor, but he also out of his element and heavily outnumbered; while the hunting party is complacent and smug, but they are completely ruthless, vastly more experienced at this game. AND they have all the guns. Ice T is no martial arts superman, (like JCVD in "Hard Target"), and his opponents are not professional killers, so the odds are far more even, but the stakes are just as high. It's a very nice balancing of tension vs. hope, and determination and wits against numbers and skill.
Of course, if the movie looked bad, or sounded crappy, much of the impact would be lost. I'm a big fan of Copeland's soundtracks, and he comes through here with his usual ringing, chiming, supple and plangent atmospheric backgrounds that are worth listening to for their own sake. And the cinematography in the woods of Oregon is heartbreakingly beautiful - even as the tension and danger mount, the eye is captured by the light and the scenery and the colors.
There are a couple weak spots in the movie, of course. John McGinty's character is completely stupid (although he plays him well), and the scene in the cave where T and McGinty reveal their back-stories to each other is completely uninspired and by-the-numbers. The shifting of momentum between the hunter and the hunted doesn't quite work - you have to kind of suspend disbelief at a couple of points near the end where Murray Abraham's character starts to "lose it". And I have a hard time believing that Hauer's character, once he returns to the city, doesn't simply go to ground and lay a clever ambush for T instead of packing everything to flee the city and start over elsewhere. (Of course, it could be argued that he tried setting a trap in the final scene set in the woods, and it didn't work then.)
But as action-adventure movies go, and as 'MGD' movies go, this is a keeper that holds up to repeating viewings. I bought it used on DVD several years ago after my initial rental, and I have watched it and enjoyed it at least half-a-dozen times since then.
STG was my first introduction to Ice T as an actor, and I have to admit that I was impressed. He plays his role with a nice mixture of toughness, sadness, misery, and humor, and he does it with hardly a false or unconvincing note in the entire movie. Some of the credit may go to the screenplay, because he was pretty stiff in "Mean Guns", but he holds center stage here like a natural.
The rest of the cast is also quite strong, with Rutger Hauer and Charles Dutton especially giving convincing, memorable performances. The characters they play are human monsters, but they enjoy themselves so much, take such glee in their roles as "mighty hunters", that the repulsiveness and ugliness of what they are doing almost takes a back seat to the "strategy and tactics" war games they play with their prey. Almost. But it takes a special talent to invest these yuppie scum with energy and charisma to keep them interesting, and the director and actors all deserve kudos for what they pull off here.
Here's the strength of the screenplay - You come to understand that Ice T's character is actually quite shrewd and resourceful and is a born survivor, but he also out of his element and heavily outnumbered; while the hunting party is complacent and smug, but they are completely ruthless, vastly more experienced at this game. AND they have all the guns. Ice T is no martial arts superman, (like JCVD in "Hard Target"), and his opponents are not professional killers, so the odds are far more even, but the stakes are just as high. It's a very nice balancing of tension vs. hope, and determination and wits against numbers and skill.
Of course, if the movie looked bad, or sounded crappy, much of the impact would be lost. I'm a big fan of Copeland's soundtracks, and he comes through here with his usual ringing, chiming, supple and plangent atmospheric backgrounds that are worth listening to for their own sake. And the cinematography in the woods of Oregon is heartbreakingly beautiful - even as the tension and danger mount, the eye is captured by the light and the scenery and the colors.
There are a couple weak spots in the movie, of course. John McGinty's character is completely stupid (although he plays him well), and the scene in the cave where T and McGinty reveal their back-stories to each other is completely uninspired and by-the-numbers. The shifting of momentum between the hunter and the hunted doesn't quite work - you have to kind of suspend disbelief at a couple of points near the end where Murray Abraham's character starts to "lose it". And I have a hard time believing that Hauer's character, once he returns to the city, doesn't simply go to ground and lay a clever ambush for T instead of packing everything to flee the city and start over elsewhere. (Of course, it could be argued that he tried setting a trap in the final scene set in the woods, and it didn't work then.)
But as action-adventure movies go, and as 'MGD' movies go, this is a keeper that holds up to repeating viewings. I bought it used on DVD several years ago after my initial rental, and I have watched it and enjoyed it at least half-a-dozen times since then.
A not so dangerous game
CuriosityKilledShawn11 March 1999
Surviving the Game came traipsing in a year after Jean-Claude Van Damme's much more popular Hard Target. Both films featured down-on-their-luck men being used as human prey for rich. bloodthirsty psycho's desperate for the thrill of the kill. Ice-T is a good actor, but not in this film he ain't. Though he still out-performs JCVD as the man on the lam.
T plays Jack Mason, a Seattle hobo plucked from the streets and given a job in the wilderness. Without asking any serious questions or growing suspicious he sheepishly accepts the offer. Upon arriving at a remote forest cabin (actually Lake Wenatchee Airport, if you don't mind me spoiling the magic) he meets a bunch of wealthy weirdos and is well fed and watered. When he wakes the next morning Mason discovers that his job is to run as fast as he can back to civilization.
Director Earnest Dickerson has no control over his cast and allows them to overact to ludicrous degrees. F. Murray Abraham, Oscar or no Oscar, has no idea what he's doing. Gary Busey turns up, goes mental, and then exits (a stupid mistake as he's the most interesting character). John C. McGinley goes over the edge with the minimal of back-story, which only just starts getting interesting before he too exits. It's like they actually wanted to strip the film of any engaging substance.
They try to inject some kind of subtext with the character names. Mason is the everyday working man. He is hunted by men called Hawkins, Griffin, Mr. Wolf and Wolf Jnr. He is employed by men called Cole and Burns, and taken to a place called Hell's Canyon. If writer Eric Bernt was trying to be clever it's lost in the bumbling incompetence that cripples the action scenes.
The whole film is shot like a cheap TV movie, which is twice a let-down as Dickerson himself is a former cinematographer who really ought to know better. The editing is a joke (dead characters mysteriously reappear in some shots as well as the fact that both day AND night seem to last all of two minutes out in the wilderness). The dialogue is terrible, and frequently badly ADR-ed as a quick fix to the consistently poor narrative. A sense of place and location is apparently irrelevant...
What does STG have in its favor? Um...nice music and pleasant scenery. In a film with a wide cast of character actors playing psychos in a story that has been the inspiration for many other action movies that's a pretty disappointing couplet when you're trying hard to recommend it. Stewart Copeland's score IS very good though, and I'm surprised it's not on CD. And the lovely hills and mountains of the Pacific-Northwest will no doubt inspire you to go out for a summertime hike.
Surviving the Game could have been great, but is merely an incredibly dumb, badly-directed pot-boiler, and a massive guilty pleasure.
T plays Jack Mason, a Seattle hobo plucked from the streets and given a job in the wilderness. Without asking any serious questions or growing suspicious he sheepishly accepts the offer. Upon arriving at a remote forest cabin (actually Lake Wenatchee Airport, if you don't mind me spoiling the magic) he meets a bunch of wealthy weirdos and is well fed and watered. When he wakes the next morning Mason discovers that his job is to run as fast as he can back to civilization.
Director Earnest Dickerson has no control over his cast and allows them to overact to ludicrous degrees. F. Murray Abraham, Oscar or no Oscar, has no idea what he's doing. Gary Busey turns up, goes mental, and then exits (a stupid mistake as he's the most interesting character). John C. McGinley goes over the edge with the minimal of back-story, which only just starts getting interesting before he too exits. It's like they actually wanted to strip the film of any engaging substance.
They try to inject some kind of subtext with the character names. Mason is the everyday working man. He is hunted by men called Hawkins, Griffin, Mr. Wolf and Wolf Jnr. He is employed by men called Cole and Burns, and taken to a place called Hell's Canyon. If writer Eric Bernt was trying to be clever it's lost in the bumbling incompetence that cripples the action scenes.
The whole film is shot like a cheap TV movie, which is twice a let-down as Dickerson himself is a former cinematographer who really ought to know better. The editing is a joke (dead characters mysteriously reappear in some shots as well as the fact that both day AND night seem to last all of two minutes out in the wilderness). The dialogue is terrible, and frequently badly ADR-ed as a quick fix to the consistently poor narrative. A sense of place and location is apparently irrelevant...
What does STG have in its favor? Um...nice music and pleasant scenery. In a film with a wide cast of character actors playing psychos in a story that has been the inspiration for many other action movies that's a pretty disappointing couplet when you're trying hard to recommend it. Stewart Copeland's score IS very good though, and I'm surprised it's not on CD. And the lovely hills and mountains of the Pacific-Northwest will no doubt inspire you to go out for a summertime hike.
Surviving the Game could have been great, but is merely an incredibly dumb, badly-directed pot-boiler, and a massive guilty pleasure.
Predictable & A Bit Cheesy But Still An Entertaining Film
dfa12037429 March 2016
I just saw this movie for the first time since it's release in 1994 and while it's not as good as what I initially remembered it to be, it's still a decent popcorn flick to watch when there's nothing else on (which is usually most days of the week).
The basic premise for the film is a pretty good - yet simple - one (even if it's not all that original now) and asks the question - can a homeless man put his "street-smart" knowledge to good use and survive being hunted if put into the wilderness? Well, that's exactly what ends up happening to Jack Mason (Ice-T)...a man who's been surviving on the streets but is given an opportunity at a job to help out with a hunting party. Unbeknown to him, though, HE is the prey. Like I said, the premise is good, but is it realistic to think that a homeless person can survive in the wilds as well just because they are "street smart"? Maybe, maybe not, and probably the latter, but this isn't a film about realism....it's about entertainment and for the most part it does just that. It does get a bit predictable as well, but like I say, this film is about entertainment...not plot twists or a deeply thought-provoking story.
The cast is a pretty decent one as well, even if some of the performances are slightly OTT. However, it's not too bad and it's not enough to ruin the enjoyment of the movie. The main "culprit" of this is Gary Busey, but we all know what he was like when he was in movies...usually loud & in your face type of performances, and it's no different here. Also, love him or hate him, Ice-T does a decent job too as Jack Mason, and does a pretty convincing job of playing a down and out homeless guy who's got nothing left to live for.
The film is by no means a cinematic masterpiece, but it does it's job for about an hour and a half.
So if you don't mind films having some OTT performances and predictable story's that have a sprinkling of cheese, then you might enjoy Surviving The Game.
The basic premise for the film is a pretty good - yet simple - one (even if it's not all that original now) and asks the question - can a homeless man put his "street-smart" knowledge to good use and survive being hunted if put into the wilderness? Well, that's exactly what ends up happening to Jack Mason (Ice-T)...a man who's been surviving on the streets but is given an opportunity at a job to help out with a hunting party. Unbeknown to him, though, HE is the prey. Like I said, the premise is good, but is it realistic to think that a homeless person can survive in the wilds as well just because they are "street smart"? Maybe, maybe not, and probably the latter, but this isn't a film about realism....it's about entertainment and for the most part it does just that. It does get a bit predictable as well, but like I say, this film is about entertainment...not plot twists or a deeply thought-provoking story.
The cast is a pretty decent one as well, even if some of the performances are slightly OTT. However, it's not too bad and it's not enough to ruin the enjoyment of the movie. The main "culprit" of this is Gary Busey, but we all know what he was like when he was in movies...usually loud & in your face type of performances, and it's no different here. Also, love him or hate him, Ice-T does a decent job too as Jack Mason, and does a pretty convincing job of playing a down and out homeless guy who's got nothing left to live for.
The film is by no means a cinematic masterpiece, but it does it's job for about an hour and a half.
So if you don't mind films having some OTT performances and predictable story's that have a sprinkling of cheese, then you might enjoy Surviving The Game.
A Strong Version of 'The Most Dangerous Game'
Chance2000esl10 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is a strong version of 'The Most Dangerous Game' (1932) which is about, unfortunately or not, one of the most timeless of stories -- men hunting other men for sport. The original version was taken directly from the story by Richard Connell, which itself may have been inspired by the true story of John Colter being pursued by the Blackfoot Indians in old Wyoming.
There have been countless other versions with varying degrees of novelty or spin, some of the most interesting of which are the Robert Wise misfire remake 'A Game of Death' (1945); the ex-Nazis hunting Richard Widmark in 'Run for the Sun' (1956); Cornell Wilde's great African version 'The Naked Prey,' (1996) which was directly based on Colter's race for life; Van Damme's 'Hard Target' (1993), and now the almost perfect 'Surviving the Game.'
This one is marked with a strong and varied cast, with outstanding performances by Jeff Corey and Gary Busey, who, as a psychiatrist, gives one of the most chilling scenes ever filmed as he describes how he fought his pet killer dog to the death bare handed (a story that ends with almost post coital heavy breathing-- it sounds like he's not faking). After he finishes the story, Ice T says, deadpan, "Do your patients know about this?" Busey replies, with his patented maniacal glare, "No, but you do." Too bad Gary couldn't have been in more of the film!
Ice T does a fairly good job, with only two scenes showing him as a freshman actor, particular the weak cave back story dialog with John C. McGinley, a scene which, as others have noted, does nothing for the film but slow it down, except that it shows us more of the hypocrisy and double nature of the 'macho' hunters (McGinley uses an asthma spray, and is afraid of lizards). We also get the great stars Rutger Hauer, Charles S. Dutton and F. Murray Abraham as bad, bad boys also leading double lives as virtuous citizens who go to the woods to unleash the beast within. When they all have dinner the night before 'the hunt' you half expect them to be dining on human flesh!
The movie is beautifully photographed in the deep woods of Washington state, with great music and even some literal cliffhangers. It has a neat twist-- Ice T is a homeless survivor of the alleys who lives by his wits and his street honed body. The authenticity of his language adds to the realism he represents as opposed to the puerile yet horrifying male fantasies he must confront and overcome. He's the only one not leading a double life-- as Bob Dylan told us all those years ago, "To live outside the law you must be honest." From the beginning of the movie he's surrounded by death (his dog and his friend) as the table is set for the action to come.
The climax is also foreshadowed with the 'check the barrel' sequence. The first two times you really enjoy the whole movie, but the third time around the ending seemed like a preposterous arbitrarily tacked on ending. Why couldn't it have ended in the woods? How could Ice T magically appear back in his alleys of Seattle after a three day trek (?) from the deep woods? And why does Hauer, dressed as a priest, know where to bring his heavy artillery down there for the final battle? The ending, when it comes, seems too convenient and easy, or maybe just the surprise of it has worn off on the third viewing of the film.
Despite all these little quibbles, it's a guilty pleasure to watch where you enjoy rooting for Ice T in a well made, exciting movie.
There have been countless other versions with varying degrees of novelty or spin, some of the most interesting of which are the Robert Wise misfire remake 'A Game of Death' (1945); the ex-Nazis hunting Richard Widmark in 'Run for the Sun' (1956); Cornell Wilde's great African version 'The Naked Prey,' (1996) which was directly based on Colter's race for life; Van Damme's 'Hard Target' (1993), and now the almost perfect 'Surviving the Game.'
This one is marked with a strong and varied cast, with outstanding performances by Jeff Corey and Gary Busey, who, as a psychiatrist, gives one of the most chilling scenes ever filmed as he describes how he fought his pet killer dog to the death bare handed (a story that ends with almost post coital heavy breathing-- it sounds like he's not faking). After he finishes the story, Ice T says, deadpan, "Do your patients know about this?" Busey replies, with his patented maniacal glare, "No, but you do." Too bad Gary couldn't have been in more of the film!
Ice T does a fairly good job, with only two scenes showing him as a freshman actor, particular the weak cave back story dialog with John C. McGinley, a scene which, as others have noted, does nothing for the film but slow it down, except that it shows us more of the hypocrisy and double nature of the 'macho' hunters (McGinley uses an asthma spray, and is afraid of lizards). We also get the great stars Rutger Hauer, Charles S. Dutton and F. Murray Abraham as bad, bad boys also leading double lives as virtuous citizens who go to the woods to unleash the beast within. When they all have dinner the night before 'the hunt' you half expect them to be dining on human flesh!
The movie is beautifully photographed in the deep woods of Washington state, with great music and even some literal cliffhangers. It has a neat twist-- Ice T is a homeless survivor of the alleys who lives by his wits and his street honed body. The authenticity of his language adds to the realism he represents as opposed to the puerile yet horrifying male fantasies he must confront and overcome. He's the only one not leading a double life-- as Bob Dylan told us all those years ago, "To live outside the law you must be honest." From the beginning of the movie he's surrounded by death (his dog and his friend) as the table is set for the action to come.
The climax is also foreshadowed with the 'check the barrel' sequence. The first two times you really enjoy the whole movie, but the third time around the ending seemed like a preposterous arbitrarily tacked on ending. Why couldn't it have ended in the woods? How could Ice T magically appear back in his alleys of Seattle after a three day trek (?) from the deep woods? And why does Hauer, dressed as a priest, know where to bring his heavy artillery down there for the final battle? The ending, when it comes, seems too convenient and easy, or maybe just the surprise of it has worn off on the third viewing of the film.
Despite all these little quibbles, it's a guilty pleasure to watch where you enjoy rooting for Ice T in a well made, exciting movie.
Good action film with a perfect cast
tp3206 April 2000
There are a few effective concepts in action films which are used over and over again. "Surviving the Game" uses one which was over 60 years old when the movie was made and still works like a charm. Made in 1932, "The Most Dangerous Game" is a movie about a group of people who are hunted for sport. Over the years this concept has been successfully used in big films like John Woo's "Hard Target" (which premiered less than a year before this film) as well as in DTV-films like the Lorenzo Lamas-actioner "Final Round".
The formula works. Although these films rarely offer anything new (you pretty much know the ending before the film has even started), they are very entertaining if the hero is someone who you want to win and the villains are suitably evil. "Surviving the Game" fills this order and throws in some energetic action sequences directed by Ernest R. Dickerson (I also enjoyed his "Bulletproof" a lot).
Ice-T is the hero here. When the film starts, he has no money, no family, no friends and is ready to kill himself. But when he receives a job as a hunting guide from a wealthy businessman (played by Rutger Hauer), he wants to put his life in order again. But after a good meal where Ice meets the rest of the hunters (including Gary Busey and Charles Dutton), the hunt begins and he suddenly realizes that he's the prey. Now, he must use all his strength and wit to survive.
The cast is perfect. While there are no huge stars, these people know the genre and obviously had a great time filming this movie. And there isn't any fault in the production values either. There are beautiful sceneries, a good score by Stewart Copeland and some neat stunts. The script by Eric Bernt (Virtuosity, Romeo Must Die) creates some quite interesting villains and the dialogue, while not perfect, works reasonably well. Luckily Bernt knows that he's writing an action film and doesn't even try to include any deep relationships or hidden meanings in his script.
At the end of the day, this is a good action film which is guaranteed to entertain a fan of this genre for 90 minutes. It's not the best action film ever but it's definitely above-average. This one gets an 8.
The formula works. Although these films rarely offer anything new (you pretty much know the ending before the film has even started), they are very entertaining if the hero is someone who you want to win and the villains are suitably evil. "Surviving the Game" fills this order and throws in some energetic action sequences directed by Ernest R. Dickerson (I also enjoyed his "Bulletproof" a lot).
Ice-T is the hero here. When the film starts, he has no money, no family, no friends and is ready to kill himself. But when he receives a job as a hunting guide from a wealthy businessman (played by Rutger Hauer), he wants to put his life in order again. But after a good meal where Ice meets the rest of the hunters (including Gary Busey and Charles Dutton), the hunt begins and he suddenly realizes that he's the prey. Now, he must use all his strength and wit to survive.
The cast is perfect. While there are no huge stars, these people know the genre and obviously had a great time filming this movie. And there isn't any fault in the production values either. There are beautiful sceneries, a good score by Stewart Copeland and some neat stunts. The script by Eric Bernt (Virtuosity, Romeo Must Die) creates some quite interesting villains and the dialogue, while not perfect, works reasonably well. Luckily Bernt knows that he's writing an action film and doesn't even try to include any deep relationships or hidden meanings in his script.
At the end of the day, this is a good action film which is guaranteed to entertain a fan of this genre for 90 minutes. It's not the best action film ever but it's definitely above-average. This one gets an 8.
Surviving the Game
Scarecrow-882 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Seattle street bum(Ice-T), whose wife and child were killed during a building collapse, is offered what he believes to be a potential job worth a substantial amount, not knowing that the hunting trip into the Oregonian woods he will serve as the hunted. Those out to get him work for the CIA, retired agents whose leisurely activities include hunting those they consider trash, societal outcasts no one cares about. What they don't expect is that their quarry is so resourceful, tough, and clever, soon turning the tables on them.
Variant on The Most Dangerous Game, doesn't stray from formula at all. It goes exactly as you'd expect, with Ice-T, no matter how implausible / improbable, upending his adversaries, despite their distinct advantages. The uniqueness this film brings to the familiar formula is who is being hunted, Ice-T, an obvious street-lifer, using his survival instincts from spending his life in the harsh environs of the Seattle urban areas to combat those with all the comforts and weaponry(..including ground vehicles)at their disposal. Just seeing Ice-T in an environment alien to him adds a nice touch to a rather overdone plot premise. The cast is something, I'll tell you..the hunters include Rutger Hauer, Charles Dutton, F Murray Abraham, John McGinley, William McNamara(..the moral core of the film, the son of Abraham, who finds this sport contemptible, but is caught in difficult circumstances, pressured by his father to hunt with them), and Gary Busey, who makes his short time on screen quite memorable(..get a load of the story he tells Ice-T regarding pops and how he got a scar under his eye!). McGinley steals the film as a loose cannon, with asthma, whose traumatic loss of a daughter fuels his desire to kill Ice-T. The ending, how Ice-T gets even with Hauer, is as far-fetched as it gets, but should satisfy because he's such a cretin. Dutton uncharacteristically portrays a loathsome scumbag, here, playing against type, relishing the hunt for Ice-T. Director Ernest Dickerson deftly handles the action within the wilderness quite effectively.
Poor Ice-T's character gets run through the ringer. He had already lost his family, living off the street, his dog gets hit by a taxi cab, his old pal dies, and just when it appears that Dutton is offering him a way out of terrible poverty, he becomes hunted by devious killers. He has to survive a leap into water, a hurt leg after crashing a ground vehicle he steals into a downed tree, is shot in the side, and escapes numerous altercations with those after his hide. Ice-T, to his credit, is rather good, with us able to understand how rough life has been to him, the strife evident in his eyes, having developed alligator skin after all life has dealt him.
Variant on The Most Dangerous Game, doesn't stray from formula at all. It goes exactly as you'd expect, with Ice-T, no matter how implausible / improbable, upending his adversaries, despite their distinct advantages. The uniqueness this film brings to the familiar formula is who is being hunted, Ice-T, an obvious street-lifer, using his survival instincts from spending his life in the harsh environs of the Seattle urban areas to combat those with all the comforts and weaponry(..including ground vehicles)at their disposal. Just seeing Ice-T in an environment alien to him adds a nice touch to a rather overdone plot premise. The cast is something, I'll tell you..the hunters include Rutger Hauer, Charles Dutton, F Murray Abraham, John McGinley, William McNamara(..the moral core of the film, the son of Abraham, who finds this sport contemptible, but is caught in difficult circumstances, pressured by his father to hunt with them), and Gary Busey, who makes his short time on screen quite memorable(..get a load of the story he tells Ice-T regarding pops and how he got a scar under his eye!). McGinley steals the film as a loose cannon, with asthma, whose traumatic loss of a daughter fuels his desire to kill Ice-T. The ending, how Ice-T gets even with Hauer, is as far-fetched as it gets, but should satisfy because he's such a cretin. Dutton uncharacteristically portrays a loathsome scumbag, here, playing against type, relishing the hunt for Ice-T. Director Ernest Dickerson deftly handles the action within the wilderness quite effectively.
Poor Ice-T's character gets run through the ringer. He had already lost his family, living off the street, his dog gets hit by a taxi cab, his old pal dies, and just when it appears that Dutton is offering him a way out of terrible poverty, he becomes hunted by devious killers. He has to survive a leap into water, a hurt leg after crashing a ground vehicle he steals into a downed tree, is shot in the side, and escapes numerous altercations with those after his hide. Ice-T, to his credit, is rather good, with us able to understand how rough life has been to him, the strife evident in his eyes, having developed alligator skin after all life has dealt him.
needed more busey.
flashgordonemail23 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
being a bit generous with my interpretation maybe but you could say the plot can be considered a metaphor for how people take advantage of others that are down on their luck and masquerade as a helping hand. don't think this is a great piece of thought provoking cinema though, its really a far fetched story of successful people finding ways to get their kicks by hunting human beings as sport. the rag tag cast of bad guys do a pretty good job of posing as businessmen and high profile professionals with murderous and maladjusted personalities. for a good portion of movie we focus on ice t, who appears to be portrayed as a hapless naive suicidal homeless man (although his personal troubles I feel are not explored enough for the audience to fully sympathies or understand him). his only main advantage is his seemingly fantastic physical ability. its only later on that we see a man who is a little more savvy and able to out smart his hunters. although for someone so keenly and skilfully able to manipulate the people out to get him he does make some incredibly bad errors. this film seems so inconsistent both in ideas and pace. most of the deaths end up seeming quite ludicrous mainly through the fault of how it shows us how each is being dispatched. for the most part there doesn't appear to be any drama, tension or humanity to their demises, they are simply offed strangely and treated as a number on the list of baddies. sure, sometimes you want a baddie to disappear without much celebration.but I just feel that this film doesn't really offer much in the department its supposed to be geared for, there is no plot twists or intelligent writing here just simple bog standard against all odds survival clichés. for the most part its forgettable aside from the noted childhood recollection in the cabin from busey. and hauer sometimes displays a good screen presence although this isn't hauer's best. john c mcginley did a pretty good job with getting into character.
One of the Most Underrated Action Films of the 90s
DarkStar8420 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This is an interesting film all right. The story takes it's inspiration from the Richard Connell 1924 short story 'Suriving the Game'. It's not a new idea, but it's one of the best takes on it.
Anyway, on to the meat of the story. The main character is the homeless Jack Mason (Ice-T) who quickly decided that he's sick of life. However, he's saved in the nick of time by a seemingly well-meaning man named Cole (playerd by the incomparable Charles S. Dutton). Cole managed to convince Mason to give life another try by offering him a job. The stories a little slow in the beginning, but things start picking up when Mason goes for the interview and meets the man he'll be working for, Burns (Rutger Hauer of Ladyhawk fame.) Mason manages to land the job and a few scenes later he's in the wilderness. This is where the story really starts rolling- we get to meet the remaining four characters of the story. The group includes nut-job Doc Hawkins, played by Gary Busy. Wolfe Sr. (F. Murray Abraham) a wall street cutthroat, and his naive son Wolfe Jr.. The last person we get to meet is Griphon (John C. McGinley, Dr. Cox from 'Scrubs')who seems ready to flip out at any moment.
Well, dinner commences and everyone get to know each other, and Mason goes to bed... Only to wake up with gun in his face. We knew this would happen, but it's just as fun to see him tossed out into the wilderness amidst threats and jeers from everyone (save for Jr- who's freaking out). Mason is left with little choice but to run like hell as the hunters have breakfast.
What I like about this story is that each of the hunters aren't 2D killers- they've all got complex back stories and both their's and Mason's are woven into the story as it progresses... Hawkins and Griphon argue over who'll get Mason first while Wolfe browbeats his son into going along ("He's a homeless piece of trash. Nothing... less then nothing!") The group sets out on ATVs and motorcycles, brandishing everything from automatic shotguns to crossbows.
However, like the novella, the prey turns out to be a little better than they expected. Cole and Burns smile (in their own subtext riddled way)- declaring that Mason's doubled back to the cabin... something that's never happened before.
Sufice to say, the group burst into the Cabin. Hawkins and Wolfe Sr. rush inside just as Burns realizes it's a trap. The cabin explodes (thanks to a trap set by Mason)as the hunters narrowly gets out... There's a great moment where Hawkins tries to kill Mason. "I like my meat rare!" Only to have things turned on him as he's thrown back into the cabin as Mason utters "try well done!" However, as the men take note of the situation, they discover that Hawkins has been killed. Burns smiles and remarks "This is where it gets good." ...And it does! The remaining men set after Mason. Jr continues to try and get the hell out of this situation, but his father is set on making a man out of him ("You're not going to embarrass me.")They start splitting up when they get a whiff of Mason, only to fall for another trick. This time, it's Griphon who get's waylaid by Mason.
The hunters continue after Mason. Burns makes it clear that he's more concerned with getting Mason then rescuing Griphon. Eventually, Griphon returns, remarking that he was let go but has no idea where Mason went (now armed with HIS Shotgun. Griphon want's out- he's ready to get his act together and leave. But Burns lets Cole shoot him- who's grinning the whole time! Jr flips out at this point and his father attempts to calm him down- trying to pin both deaths on Mason's shoulders! A potshot at the group tips Burns and Cole off to Mason's whereabouts. The three of them had been trading insults (over little headsets) back in forth amusingly, till Cole gets feat up with it and hops onto his ATV- triggering one of the raddest deaths on screen. (Mason had jimmied with the thing earlier)Cole's death sets off Burns, who'd been having a ball up till that moment. He's tired of the game- he want's Mason dead.
There's a nice exchange between Sr and Jr. "...It wasn't supposed to be like this." "How the F*ck was it supposed to be?!" The two of them follow Burns more out of fear then any desire to hunt.
For the entire film, the music has been solid, the editing great, and the shooting set to vivid cephia tones and arrays of greens. But the visuals get really cool when night falls (by this point, a trap had killed Jr and Wolfe openly remarks "after we kill Mason, I'm going to settle things with you." Burns just grins at this and welcomes the death challenge). Everything is set in strong blacks and dark blues as the two men wait for Mason to come after them...
And he does! Wolfe, starts freaking out even more and throws his gun away- challenging Mason to a fight. The bit where he turns around in time to see Ice-T's ghostly face point blank is brilliant! ...The movie should have ended in the woods. With it down to Burns and Mason, the confrontation would have been more then enough. This is really the biggest weakness of the film is the '2nd ending' aspect. Abraham has an academy award, but overacts in a couple of scenes (one of them critical to his character!) The "cave scene" is rather silly, but forgivable. Still, it's a good movie for the most part and fun to watch.
Anyway, on to the meat of the story. The main character is the homeless Jack Mason (Ice-T) who quickly decided that he's sick of life. However, he's saved in the nick of time by a seemingly well-meaning man named Cole (playerd by the incomparable Charles S. Dutton). Cole managed to convince Mason to give life another try by offering him a job. The stories a little slow in the beginning, but things start picking up when Mason goes for the interview and meets the man he'll be working for, Burns (Rutger Hauer of Ladyhawk fame.) Mason manages to land the job and a few scenes later he's in the wilderness. This is where the story really starts rolling- we get to meet the remaining four characters of the story. The group includes nut-job Doc Hawkins, played by Gary Busy. Wolfe Sr. (F. Murray Abraham) a wall street cutthroat, and his naive son Wolfe Jr.. The last person we get to meet is Griphon (John C. McGinley, Dr. Cox from 'Scrubs')who seems ready to flip out at any moment.
Well, dinner commences and everyone get to know each other, and Mason goes to bed... Only to wake up with gun in his face. We knew this would happen, but it's just as fun to see him tossed out into the wilderness amidst threats and jeers from everyone (save for Jr- who's freaking out). Mason is left with little choice but to run like hell as the hunters have breakfast.
What I like about this story is that each of the hunters aren't 2D killers- they've all got complex back stories and both their's and Mason's are woven into the story as it progresses... Hawkins and Griphon argue over who'll get Mason first while Wolfe browbeats his son into going along ("He's a homeless piece of trash. Nothing... less then nothing!") The group sets out on ATVs and motorcycles, brandishing everything from automatic shotguns to crossbows.
However, like the novella, the prey turns out to be a little better than they expected. Cole and Burns smile (in their own subtext riddled way)- declaring that Mason's doubled back to the cabin... something that's never happened before.
Sufice to say, the group burst into the Cabin. Hawkins and Wolfe Sr. rush inside just as Burns realizes it's a trap. The cabin explodes (thanks to a trap set by Mason)as the hunters narrowly gets out... There's a great moment where Hawkins tries to kill Mason. "I like my meat rare!" Only to have things turned on him as he's thrown back into the cabin as Mason utters "try well done!" However, as the men take note of the situation, they discover that Hawkins has been killed. Burns smiles and remarks "This is where it gets good." ...And it does! The remaining men set after Mason. Jr continues to try and get the hell out of this situation, but his father is set on making a man out of him ("You're not going to embarrass me.")They start splitting up when they get a whiff of Mason, only to fall for another trick. This time, it's Griphon who get's waylaid by Mason.
The hunters continue after Mason. Burns makes it clear that he's more concerned with getting Mason then rescuing Griphon. Eventually, Griphon returns, remarking that he was let go but has no idea where Mason went (now armed with HIS Shotgun. Griphon want's out- he's ready to get his act together and leave. But Burns lets Cole shoot him- who's grinning the whole time! Jr flips out at this point and his father attempts to calm him down- trying to pin both deaths on Mason's shoulders! A potshot at the group tips Burns and Cole off to Mason's whereabouts. The three of them had been trading insults (over little headsets) back in forth amusingly, till Cole gets feat up with it and hops onto his ATV- triggering one of the raddest deaths on screen. (Mason had jimmied with the thing earlier)Cole's death sets off Burns, who'd been having a ball up till that moment. He's tired of the game- he want's Mason dead.
There's a nice exchange between Sr and Jr. "...It wasn't supposed to be like this." "How the F*ck was it supposed to be?!" The two of them follow Burns more out of fear then any desire to hunt.
For the entire film, the music has been solid, the editing great, and the shooting set to vivid cephia tones and arrays of greens. But the visuals get really cool when night falls (by this point, a trap had killed Jr and Wolfe openly remarks "after we kill Mason, I'm going to settle things with you." Burns just grins at this and welcomes the death challenge). Everything is set in strong blacks and dark blues as the two men wait for Mason to come after them...
And he does! Wolfe, starts freaking out even more and throws his gun away- challenging Mason to a fight. The bit where he turns around in time to see Ice-T's ghostly face point blank is brilliant! ...The movie should have ended in the woods. With it down to Burns and Mason, the confrontation would have been more then enough. This is really the biggest weakness of the film is the '2nd ending' aspect. Abraham has an academy award, but overacts in a couple of scenes (one of them critical to his character!) The "cave scene" is rather silly, but forgivable. Still, it's a good movie for the most part and fun to watch.
Not as bad as expected
culwin5 February 2000
Well it looks like these guys had a lot of fun making this flick. The movie is unintentionally funny in many places, and the directing appears as haphazard as the plot. F Murray Abraham is perpetually dumb. Gary Busey is perpetually angry. If you like guns, explosions, and seeing bad guys getting wasted, this movie is for you.
This Movie Needed a Script Rewrite.
thebobofue29 July 2005
This movie could have been so much better with a script rewrite. Not that I expect a great deal of plausibility in movies, but you'd think that even the homeless and urban-dwelling Jack Mason would question why a group of experienced hunters would want to hire him as a hunting guide. And upon reaching the hunting grounds, poor Ice-T plays his part as if he is actually going to lead these men through woods he's never seen before.
And how does Jack Mason find Thomas Burns back in Seattle?
I'm assuming this movie was based on Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game." A few years ago I showed this movie to a class of 9th grade students after they read the story. I reedited the movie, cutting out all the pointless scenes and all the profanity. It ended up being 43 minutes long.
And how does Jack Mason find Thomas Burns back in Seattle?
I'm assuming this movie was based on Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game." A few years ago I showed this movie to a class of 9th grade students after they read the story. I reedited the movie, cutting out all the pointless scenes and all the profanity. It ended up being 43 minutes long.
Don't Mess With the Homeless
BaronBl00d25 July 2000
Beverage guy Ice T plays a down and out "bum" that is given a job to help a group of guys at a hunting lodge...or so he thinks. In reality, he is to be the prey. Surviving the Game is a reworking of the timeless classic story by Richard Connell "The Most Dangerous Game." Ice T ends up running from this group of selfish, arrogant, and sadistic killers that feel no remorse or shame for killing this man because he is a homeless vagrant. He matches wits with his opponents and then some. This film can best be described as entertainment. It isn't full of great acting..the acting is acceptable with a few good performances out of Rutger Hauer(Man this guy can be scary) and Charles Dutton. The rest are merely adequate...a means to develop the plot and move things along. The story is pretty good but has some flaws, but the film is full of action and suspense.
Good Ol' Action
Tweetienator14 April 2021
Every time these days I watched some of those new movies and shows I have to travel back in time - to wash away the memories of all those bad made stuff. Surviving the Game is one of those solid and fine trash action movies of good old times that are not infested by too much pc stuff and strangeled to death by the CGI department. What you get is a simple story and some simple and straight cheesy action. Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it very memorable? No. Is it entertaining? Yes.
Weird combination of quality and mediocrity in an action movie
dixxjamm1 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The quality of this movie consists of some over-the-top performances by some of Hollywood's most underrated actors. In particular:
1.Gary Busey and his becoming a man monologue 2.John C.McGinley's whole manic-depressive performance 3.F.Murray Abraham, especially his freaking out/falling down "I wanna kill him with my bear hands " in the end 4.Rutger Hauer whole performance as a cynical bastard
Screenplay is OK for an action movie and the limited character development typical for this type of film works like a charm because of the actors.
Mediocre is the screenplay (I don't mind some absurd action sequences, but (for ex.)chopping a tree with a shotgun was a little too much, and Ice-t's character was simply too clever and cool).
In any case, this movie is worth watching because of the actors. It is amazing what good solid performances can do to an otherwise mediocre movie.
1.Gary Busey and his becoming a man monologue 2.John C.McGinley's whole manic-depressive performance 3.F.Murray Abraham, especially his freaking out/falling down "I wanna kill him with my bear hands " in the end 4.Rutger Hauer whole performance as a cynical bastard
Screenplay is OK for an action movie and the limited character development typical for this type of film works like a charm because of the actors.
Mediocre is the screenplay (I don't mind some absurd action sequences, but (for ex.)chopping a tree with a shotgun was a little too much, and Ice-t's character was simply too clever and cool).
In any case, this movie is worth watching because of the actors. It is amazing what good solid performances can do to an otherwise mediocre movie.
Cool original plot idea
welhof113 April 2021
I'm always interested in new ideas and this one had my interest. I wish they hadn't included that first scene, because it could have been a cool twist in the movie. The acting was a little cheesy and over the top in parts to where it was almost comical. Overall a decent not well known action movie.
Badly scripted, a fun journey all the same...
paulgeaf10 November 2009
This really could have been a great chase/action movie. It has all the right ingredients with the hunters, the hunted, the unwilling hinted man being chased for his life through the woods...the claustrophobia, the suspense, the psychological element, yeah it had enough in there to maker a really great story. What happened then? First let me point out that I thoroughly enjoyed this film!! I enjoyed it when I realised it was not as professional as I might have thought at first, so I sat back to enjoy a good old action flick in the manner of Schwarzenegger or something and it fitted the bill well. The doc, Gary Busey, was just perfect in his role and I was a bit saddened when his character was no longer. He could have brought more to this movie.
I haven't had the 'pleasure' of watching Ice-T in a movie until now.
Ice-T is a bad actor! He also had such bad lines that maybe it wasn't exactly his fault. Either way he was quite a part in the downfall of this film. For someone who is a streetwise homeless guy he seemed to lack a bit of judgement and was as gullible as they come.
OK OK OK forget all that. If you want to enjoy this film then you must suspend disbelief, don't ask questions about this or that character or why this happened or didn't happen, just get yourself cosy, sit back and have a good night in with this eclectic bunch of weirdo's trying to kill each other in the woods. It is as simple as that. For that it deserves at least 5 stars. Enjoyable but could definitely have been miles better.
Oh and remind me not to watch Ice-T again...
I haven't had the 'pleasure' of watching Ice-T in a movie until now.
Ice-T is a bad actor! He also had such bad lines that maybe it wasn't exactly his fault. Either way he was quite a part in the downfall of this film. For someone who is a streetwise homeless guy he seemed to lack a bit of judgement and was as gullible as they come.
OK OK OK forget all that. If you want to enjoy this film then you must suspend disbelief, don't ask questions about this or that character or why this happened or didn't happen, just get yourself cosy, sit back and have a good night in with this eclectic bunch of weirdo's trying to kill each other in the woods. It is as simple as that. For that it deserves at least 5 stars. Enjoyable but could definitely have been miles better.
Oh and remind me not to watch Ice-T again...
The ultimate survival movie?
Vomitron_G4 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Now I won't go as far as saying that it is the ultimate in survival-action (I think DELIVERANCE still ranks at number 1), but damn this movie rocks! I personally think it kicks more ass than RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD. As a matter of fact, wouldn't it be fun to have John Rambo an Jack Mason test their survival skills and see who wins? I haven't seen HARD TARGET yet (I'm not much of a Van Damme fan even though I'm from Belgium), but it can't get much better than this, no?
I'll spare you the plot, everybody seems to know it anyway.
I remember when going into this movie the first fifteen minutes (regardless the intercut scenes of a man being killed in the woods) I was thinking: "What's this? Another lame getho-drama with Ice-T playing a homeless bum? You gotta be kiddin' me!" Then Rutger Hauer comes in, playing it cool, doing the proposal. Interesting. Five minutes later the seven man are in the cabin in the woods eating porc. Amusing. Another five minutes later the hunt begins, ergo, the fun and violence start!
Dear people, when you watch this (type of) movie, please forget about minor unrealistic details like "Why does a city-boy like Jack Mason take the job as a hunting-guide in the first place?" (Heck, I'll even give you an answer: The man's got nothing to lose!) or "This type of shotgun is not able to cut down a tree that size" (I even asked myself that question for a second. Maybe it's got altered bullets. Who knows what these crazy man-hunting psycho's cooked up for the hunt?). Anyway, my point is: you don't ask yourself these kind of questions for this type of movie.
The fast-paced action and the violent killings are all above average and the hunt itself is competently shot, but what makes this movie even more pleasant to watch, are the actors and their fine performances. Ice-t is fun to watch, delivering his lines in that well-known nigga-slang of his. And the torment the poor man goes through makes you really want him to win the game. Then there's Rutger Hauer. I tell you: He's the man! He injects his role with such a cold-hearted sadistic pleasure which I haven't seen him do since THE HITCHER. Excellent! (On a personal note: If they can make Arnold Schwarzenegger a governor, then Rutger Hauer should be made president. The man played a philosophizing replica in BLADE RUNNER and a peace-bringing cyborg in OMEGA DOOM, for Christ's sake, so eat it, Arnie). And what about Gary Busey playing the tough talking' Doc. When he told the story about the dog when he was a boy, I mean, you just got to love 'em: 100% Gary Busey doing his thing. All the other actors did a good job too (I sure had some fun watching John C. McGinley as the asthma-puffin' over-determined hunting rich-boy on the verge of a nervous breakdown).
By giving the hunters background stories and meaningful lines to say, the scriptwriters made the characters interesting and real. Something you don't expect from an action-flick.
My favorite death-scene: Charles S. Dutton gets blown to pieces. Hauer kneels down by his dying remains and puts his hands on Charles' head, saying something along the lines of "It's time to go to sleep now...". Harsh, man, harsh!
To wrap it all up, we have a good musical score by Stewart Copeland and a solid & clever ending. So, if you're a fan of any of the actors mentioned above, this film is a must see! If you're not a fan of the actors mentioned above, then why did you read this in the first place?
I'll spare you the plot, everybody seems to know it anyway.
I remember when going into this movie the first fifteen minutes (regardless the intercut scenes of a man being killed in the woods) I was thinking: "What's this? Another lame getho-drama with Ice-T playing a homeless bum? You gotta be kiddin' me!" Then Rutger Hauer comes in, playing it cool, doing the proposal. Interesting. Five minutes later the seven man are in the cabin in the woods eating porc. Amusing. Another five minutes later the hunt begins, ergo, the fun and violence start!
Dear people, when you watch this (type of) movie, please forget about minor unrealistic details like "Why does a city-boy like Jack Mason take the job as a hunting-guide in the first place?" (Heck, I'll even give you an answer: The man's got nothing to lose!) or "This type of shotgun is not able to cut down a tree that size" (I even asked myself that question for a second. Maybe it's got altered bullets. Who knows what these crazy man-hunting psycho's cooked up for the hunt?). Anyway, my point is: you don't ask yourself these kind of questions for this type of movie.
The fast-paced action and the violent killings are all above average and the hunt itself is competently shot, but what makes this movie even more pleasant to watch, are the actors and their fine performances. Ice-t is fun to watch, delivering his lines in that well-known nigga-slang of his. And the torment the poor man goes through makes you really want him to win the game. Then there's Rutger Hauer. I tell you: He's the man! He injects his role with such a cold-hearted sadistic pleasure which I haven't seen him do since THE HITCHER. Excellent! (On a personal note: If they can make Arnold Schwarzenegger a governor, then Rutger Hauer should be made president. The man played a philosophizing replica in BLADE RUNNER and a peace-bringing cyborg in OMEGA DOOM, for Christ's sake, so eat it, Arnie). And what about Gary Busey playing the tough talking' Doc. When he told the story about the dog when he was a boy, I mean, you just got to love 'em: 100% Gary Busey doing his thing. All the other actors did a good job too (I sure had some fun watching John C. McGinley as the asthma-puffin' over-determined hunting rich-boy on the verge of a nervous breakdown).
By giving the hunters background stories and meaningful lines to say, the scriptwriters made the characters interesting and real. Something you don't expect from an action-flick.
My favorite death-scene: Charles S. Dutton gets blown to pieces. Hauer kneels down by his dying remains and puts his hands on Charles' head, saying something along the lines of "It's time to go to sleep now...". Harsh, man, harsh!
To wrap it all up, we have a good musical score by Stewart Copeland and a solid & clever ending. So, if you're a fan of any of the actors mentioned above, this film is a must see! If you're not a fan of the actors mentioned above, then why did you read this in the first place?
Ice-T shows charisma and presence in this well made 90s update on The Most Dangerous Game
IonicBreezeMachine6 September 2020
Released in 1994, Surviving the Game follows Mason, a down on his luck homeless man who after a botched suicide attempt is offered a job as a wilderness guide for a wealthy and enigmatic group of huntsmen, however when he arrives he discovers that he is in fact the one being hunted and the fight for survival ensues.
The movie had the unfortunate timing of being released about 5 months after the similarly themed and much bigger budgeted Hard Target so Surviving the Game went mostly ignored at the box office but did attract the odd bit of praise from a few critics such as Gene Siskel. Ice-T does a fantastic job in the lead of this action thriller bringing to the role hard edged cynicism with an undercurrent of repressed pain and sadness that's made his will to continue with his hardscrabble life more and more of a challenge. However this is still very much an action movie and what's an action movie without compelling villains? Luckily the film has its villains well taken care of as the hunting party is comprised of a veritable who's who of character actors such as Rutger Hauer, John C. McGinely, Charles S. Dutton, and even F. Murray Abraham playing their roles with intensity and enthusiasm to spare.
The action set pieces are also quite thrilling as we see Mason use his wits and surrounding environment to try to stay alive and maintain whatever advantage he can grasp over his would be killers. The movie unfortunately does lose a bit of momentum and credibility in its final twenty minutes thanks to some less than perfect staging(including a fight sequence that takes place in darkness that makes it very difficult to see what's going on), some sloppy editing work, and a final confrontation that doesn't give much explanation as to how a character made it from point A to B when not only was B very far away but he logically shouldn't have even know where B was.
But despite some hiccups , Surviving the Game is an effective and exciting chase movie with engaging performances and set pieces that makes it a welcome addition to the expansive list of films inspired by The Most Dangerous Game.
The movie had the unfortunate timing of being released about 5 months after the similarly themed and much bigger budgeted Hard Target so Surviving the Game went mostly ignored at the box office but did attract the odd bit of praise from a few critics such as Gene Siskel. Ice-T does a fantastic job in the lead of this action thriller bringing to the role hard edged cynicism with an undercurrent of repressed pain and sadness that's made his will to continue with his hardscrabble life more and more of a challenge. However this is still very much an action movie and what's an action movie without compelling villains? Luckily the film has its villains well taken care of as the hunting party is comprised of a veritable who's who of character actors such as Rutger Hauer, John C. McGinely, Charles S. Dutton, and even F. Murray Abraham playing their roles with intensity and enthusiasm to spare.
The action set pieces are also quite thrilling as we see Mason use his wits and surrounding environment to try to stay alive and maintain whatever advantage he can grasp over his would be killers. The movie unfortunately does lose a bit of momentum and credibility in its final twenty minutes thanks to some less than perfect staging(including a fight sequence that takes place in darkness that makes it very difficult to see what's going on), some sloppy editing work, and a final confrontation that doesn't give much explanation as to how a character made it from point A to B when not only was B very far away but he logically shouldn't have even know where B was.
But despite some hiccups , Surviving the Game is an effective and exciting chase movie with engaging performances and set pieces that makes it a welcome addition to the expansive list of films inspired by The Most Dangerous Game.
How a NY crew can degrade an already mediocre script
breakice8931 May 2006
Had the original casting idea been kept (hunting Rutger, not Ice-T), this movie might have worked. Sadly, racism had to come into the picture (literally) and mess it up. The predominantly black production staff couldn't allow the antagonist be black, so they swapped Rutger's and Ice-T's roles. This was only the start of the downward spiral of this film. Ernest Dickerson's news-room approach to 'directing' only verified that this was another affirmative-action job assignment. Master shot, close up, close up. Gads, 'Who's Line Is It Anyway' even uses more creative camera work. Eric's rewrite of 'The Most Dangerous Game' is at least an attempt at modernizing the classic tale, but fails to give us any motivations for why the characters are doing this. We are never given the reasons, other than "no one will miss these people", why the leader (re-written as Rutger) does these things. Aside from a heart-felt performance by John McGinley, and a fair job by Charles Dutton, do not bother with this one. One small bit of trivia, there was a real drunk-driving accident during filming that injured F.Murray Abraham, and resulted in the death of the intoxicated young driver that caused the accident.
Crazy action fun on the run
Ms. V8 May 2000
This was a movie I fell in favor of instantly, seeing a man on the run for his life from a band of sadistic hunters whose prey are humans rather than animals. It was so very amazing to see Ice-T as the man on the run who gave the hunters more than what they had all bargained for. Even the collection of hunters involved, headed up by Rutger Hauer and featuring the likes of an esoteric cast such as Charles S. Dutton, John C. McGinley, William McNamara (an actually unwilling participant in this ordeal), Gary Busey and F. Murray Abraham make for a band of human flesh hunters enough to make anybody run for cover. All-in-all, the type of movie for anyone to see for an idea of how the human mind can extend to the point of insanity with regard to whose life is important versus whose life is not. As the slogan of the movie goes, Never underestimate a man--or a woman(!)--who has nothing to lose.
Always check the barrel
bob_meg14 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
It's amazing how people continue to turn out watchable remakes of "The Most Dangerous Game," but it's also easy to understand why. The idea that a pack of bored, rich psychos could make sport of killing another human being isn't just outlandishly fascinating...it's also completely believable, considering how many of these same people cavalierly dispose of other "human waste" through non-violent, but still brutal, forms of dispatch every day.
The credit for making this particular version so intensely watchable has to be given to Ice-T's laconic yet realistic portrayal of Mason, a man with really nothing to lose. And those types of men are the ones you just don't mess with.
The other half of the equation, the steadily dwindling gang of upper-crust nut-jobs, led by the always insane Rutger Hauer and his sadistic sidekick Charles Dutton, are sometimes cartoonish in their hatefulness, but this same quality makes them only that much riper for target practice.
This is a version where the hunted is obviously much quicker than the hunters, and Ernest Dickerson paces the film deliberately, allowing us to figure out just how much smarter Mason is as we follow it along.
There are times when it's a bit too cute and "Die Hard"-ish for its own good. There are also times when the editing seems choppy and haphazard, the lighting a bit too muddy. A few of the villains turn in unbelievably ham-fisted performances (F. Murry Abraham comes to mind) while others like Gary Busey deliver stone-cold readings of morbid anecdotes that will disturb you for days to come.
But for an action flick, it will keep you more than engaged for 96 odd minutes, and that may be just what you're after, after all.
The credit for making this particular version so intensely watchable has to be given to Ice-T's laconic yet realistic portrayal of Mason, a man with really nothing to lose. And those types of men are the ones you just don't mess with.
The other half of the equation, the steadily dwindling gang of upper-crust nut-jobs, led by the always insane Rutger Hauer and his sadistic sidekick Charles Dutton, are sometimes cartoonish in their hatefulness, but this same quality makes them only that much riper for target practice.
This is a version where the hunted is obviously much quicker than the hunters, and Ernest Dickerson paces the film deliberately, allowing us to figure out just how much smarter Mason is as we follow it along.
There are times when it's a bit too cute and "Die Hard"-ish for its own good. There are also times when the editing seems choppy and haphazard, the lighting a bit too muddy. A few of the villains turn in unbelievably ham-fisted performances (F. Murry Abraham comes to mind) while others like Gary Busey deliver stone-cold readings of morbid anecdotes that will disturb you for days to come.
But for an action flick, it will keep you more than engaged for 96 odd minutes, and that may be just what you're after, after all.
The Most Dangerous Game, with Ice-T
The_Void10 October 2006
What we have here is a film that works from one of the most overused premises around - namely, the one pioneered by Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack in the classic thriller "The Most Dangerous Game". Since then, it's been used in a number of films, including the likes of John Woo's Hard Target, and Jess Franco's Tender Flesh. I am, of course, talking about the idea of a group of hunters capturing, releasing and then killing the most dangerous prey known to man - man. This film focuses on Jack Mason; a down and out drifter who decides to kill himself after finding his dog and only friend dead one morning. However, he's saved and ends up travelling to an island where he thinks he's going to be helping some hunters, but actually he's what they're planning to hunt. There really isn't much I can say about this film as it's all purely routine, and if you've ever seen anything like this before; you're bound to know what's going to happen. The film stars Ice-T, who actually delivers a likable performance in the lead role despite a very silly looking hairstyle. The rest of the case is fleshed out by cult actors such as Rutger Hauer and Gary Busey, although nobody really stands out amid the tedium. As a basic thriller, the film is entertaining enough - although I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone well versed in this sort of film as they're bound to have seen it all before.
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