The Game (1997)

Wealthy financier Nicholas Van Orton gets a strange birthday present from wayward brother Conrad: a live-action game that consumes his life.

Director:

David Fincher

Writers:

John D. Brancato, Michael Ferris

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	Nicholas Van Orton
Sean Penn	...	Conrad Van Orton
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Christine
James Rebhorn	...	Jim Feingold
Peter Donat	...	Samuel Sutherland
Carroll Baker	...	Ilsa
Anna Katarina	...	Elizabeth
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Anson Baer
Charles Martinet	...	Nicholas' Father
Scott Hunter McGuire	...	Young Nicholas
Florentine Mocanu	...	Nicholas' Mother
Elizabeth Dennehy	...	Maria
Caroline Barclay	...	Maggie
Daniel Schorr	...	Himself
John Aprea	...	Power Executive

Storyline

Nicholas Van Orton is a very wealthy San Francisco banker, but he is an absolute loner, even spending his birthday alone. In the year of his 48th birthday (the age his father committed suicide) his brother Conrad, who has gone long ago and surrendered to addictions of all kinds, suddenly returns and gives Nicholas a card giving him entry to unusual entertainment provided by something called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Giving up to curiosity, Nicholas visits CRS and all kinds of weird and bad things start to happen to him.

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Plot Keywords:

birthday | game | suicide | jumping from a car | shower | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, and for some violence and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Cantonese German

Release Date:

12 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Igra

Filming Locations:

1 Bush Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,400,000 (Non-US) (31 October 1997)

Gross:

DEM 12,612,526 (Germany) (16 January 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Propaganda Films, A&B Producoes, Lda.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Conrad's use of the pseudonym Seymour Butts and Nicholas' response of, "'Under the Bleachers' by Seymour Butts", is a reference to the joke series "A Book Never Written" featured in Boys' Life (the official magazine of the Boy Scouts of America).

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Goofs

While speaking to his ex-wife on the telephone, Michael Douglas makes the mistake of pronouncing the word "nuclear" as the incorrect "noo-kyoo-ler". (A mistake he also makes in The China Syndrome.)

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Quotes

Daniel Schorr: [on TV] A staggering 57% of American workers believe there is a very real chance they will be unemployed in the next 5 to 7 years. But what does that matter to a bloated millionaire fat-cat like you?

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits shatter in the form of jigsaw puzzle pieces in Reference to the Film's title.

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Connections

References Captain Kangaroo (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Life Goes To A Party"
Written by Harry James and Benny Goodman
Performed by Vise Grip & The Ambassadors

User Reviews

....and when it was all over, I was blown away

Very few films have captured my attention the way The Game did. Every turn, every corner seemed to have some hint of intrigue and deception. This film would be the life's work for any major film maker, but then again, this David Fincher were talking about.

Years from now, when Fincher is honored with his lifetime achievement award at the Academy Awards, his true fans will always remember this film. It put a whole new twist on the idea of "plot-twist." One of the few films me and my father both liked (we never agree on any film).