Reindeer Games (2000)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writer (WGA):

Ehren Kruger (written by)

Release Date:

25 February 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The trap is set. The game is on.

Plot:

After assuming his dead cellmate's identity to get with his girlfriend, an ex-con finds himself the reluctant participant in a casino heist.

Plot Keywords:

Body Landing On Car | Kidnapping | Fire | Gambling | Snow

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Ben Affleck	...	Rudy Duncan
Gary Sinise	...	Gabriel Mercer
Charlize Theron	...	Ashley Mercer
Dennis Farina	...	Jack Bangs
James Frain	...	Nick Cassidy
Donal Logue	...	Pug
Danny Trejo	...	Jumpy
Isaac Hayes	...	Zook
Gordon Tootoosis	...	Old Governor
Dana Stubblefield	...	The Alamo
Clarence Williams III	...	Merlin
Mark Acheson	...	Mean Guard
Tom Heaton	...	Ugly Staffer
Michael Sunczyk	...	Distant Inmate #1
Douglas Arthurs	...	Distant Inmate #2 (as Douglas H. Arthurs)

Also Known As:

Deception (UK) (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

104 min | 124 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Brazil:18 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Singapore:M18 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (cut) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Germany:18 (director's cut) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Lion's Gate Studios, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

John Frankenheimer's last feature-length, theatrically distributed film.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the cafeteria, at the beginning of the movie, a crew member and camera are visible on the far left side of the screen (Widescreen, director's cut).

Quotes:

Rudy Duncan: Rule one! Never put a car thief behind the wheel!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Ben Affleck/Fiona Apple (#25.13)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

stupid

Every character in this film is excruciatingly stupid. The script, by the writer of Arlington Road (loved it) is painfully bad. If you are a bunch of would be robbers, would you stand in a parking lot in the middle of the day shouting your head off and passing big guns around? The plot twists don't work. When you get to a big surprise plot twist, think about stuff that the characters involved did earlier, and try to make sense of it. You won't succeed.

The acting is lackluster. Sinise is good, but not given much to work with. Affleck is bland, flat, and just plain poor.

Avoid this movie as if your life depended on it. If you must see it, do it drunk, or stoned, or something. Just make sure that your brain is not working when you see it. It's that stupid.