The Game (1997)

After a wealthy banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down when he becomes unable to distinguish between the game and reality.

Director:

David Fincher

Writers:

John Brancato, Michael Ferris

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Deborah Kara Unger, Sean Penn

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	Nicholas Van Orton
Sean Penn	...	Conrad
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	...	Daniel Schorr
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 in to curiosity, Nicholas visits CRS and all kinds of weird and bad things start to happen to him.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | surprise ending | game | hitchcockian | puzzlement | 

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Taglines:

You don't play it, it plays you

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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:

The Game

Filming Locations:

Tunnel Top Lounge and Bar - 601 Bush Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,337,029, 14 September 1997

Gross USA:

$48,323,648

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$109,423,648

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:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the CRS paramedic actors in the movie was a real paramedic in San Francisco. He got called in last minute to shoot a scene just as his 12-hour shift on the actual ambulance ended, so he showed up wearing his work uniform. The wardrobe department gave him the CRS Paramedic uniform and he changed into it, leaving his work uniform on the bed.

After filming, he returned to his assigned room and found that his personal uniform was missing. Apparently, the wardrobe department thought it was one of theirs and took it for cleaning. He had to wait for nearly an hour while they located and returned his uniform so he could change back into it and go home.

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Goofs

The sign on the gate to Nicholas Van Orton's house says for auction due to "forclosure" - should be spelled "foreclosure".

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Quotes

Nicholas: You can't smoke here.
Conrad: I'm with you.
Nicholas: It's illegal to smoke in restaurants in California.
Conrad: Fuck California!

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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

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

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Soundtracks

Java Headed Woman
Written by Dale Peterson
Performed by The Rhythm Lords
Courtesy of Mastersource

User Reviews

Full of surprises

"The Game" is about a wealthy investment banker, called Nicholas Van Orton, who is given a mysterious birthday present by his brother Conrad. When he participates in this game, unusual events happen that interfere with his daily routine, endangering his life. The closer he gets to figuring out the master behind the game, the more dangerous the events get, making him become closer to death. He must risk everything he has to discover the deadly secret.

The director, David Fincher, creates this film in a great way. The earlier success of his previous film "Seven" gave the producers of "The Game" an opportunity to acquire a higher profit. The film was eventually ranked #44 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

This thriller successfully holds suspense the whole way through. The incidents displayed throughout the film are shown in a sequence that continually makes us wonder what is happening, and the rapid change in events keeps us watching. There is a wide range of occurrences happening throughout the movie, which only make sense at the end of the story, so once we have seen a few of the experiences that Nicholas must go through, we are dragged into the film, continually wondering who is good, who is bad, and how the events all link together.

I recommend this film to anyone who likes mystery story's, thrills and suspense. It is fantastically structured, and it is a must see for anyone who likes films in this genre.

8/10 - "The Game" is full of surprises and should not be missed!