Gamer (2009)

In a future mind-controlling game, death row convicts are forced to battle in a 'Doom'-type environment. Convict Kable, controlled by Simon, a skilled teenage gamer, must survive thirty sessions in order to be set free. Or won't he?

Directors:

Mark Neveldine (as Neveldine), Brian Taylor (as Taylor)

Writers:

Mark Neveldine (as Neveldine), Brian Taylor (as Taylor)

Stars:

Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Ludacris

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gerard Butler	...	Kable
Amber Valletta	...	Angie
Michael C. Hall	...	Ken Castle
Kyra Sedgwick	...	Gina Parker Smith
Logan Lerman	...	Simon
Alison Lohman	...	Trace
Terry Crews	...	Hackman
Ramsey Moore	...	Gorge
Ludacris	...	Humanz Brother (as Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges)
Aaron Yoo	...	Humanz Dude
Jonathan Chase	...	Geek Leader
Dan Callahan	...	Backup Geek
Brighid Fleming	...	Delia
Johnny Whitworth	...	Scotch
Keith Jardine	...	Mean Slayer

Storyline

Ken Castle is extremely rich, popular and powerful since he invented and started exploiting the virtual online parallel reality games, in which people can either pay as user or be paid as 'actor' in a system of mind-control. The ultimate version, Slayers, fields death row convicts as gladiators in a desperate dim bid for survival, which no-one made yet. The champion, John 'Kable' Tillman, was scheduled to die just before he'ld gain release, but he persuades his teenage 'handler' to hand over the reins so he can fully use his talents and experience. Thus Kable escapes to freedom, only to be chased illegally by Castle's men, yet fights back all the way to his HQ and challenges his evil hidden plans.

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Plot Keywords:

convict | 3 dimensional | breasts | flashing breasts | death | 

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Taglines:

In the near future, you don't live to play... you'll play to live.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for frenetic sequences of strong brutal violence throughout, sexual content, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 September 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Citizen Game

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque Studios - 5650 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,203,761, 6 September 2009, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$20,488,579, 4 October 2009

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,828,540, 12 August 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate,Lakeshore Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

(at around 1h 0 mins) Efren Ramirez makes a very brief cameo as the DJ at the Society rave.

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Goofs

(at around 43 mins) In the scene where it reads "Kables Last Stand" on three separate buildings, the furthest left building has the original banner reflection of the middle building in place of the word "Last", including an NBC logo at the bottom.

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Quotes

[For the first time, Kable is speaking with Simon, his controller in the game]
Kable: What are you, twelve?
Simon: I'm seventeen, thank you.
Kable: This is unbelievable! Why am I not dead yet?
Simon: Because I am a bad-ass motherfucker.

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Connections

Features Pole Position (1982)

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Soundtracks

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Written by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart (as David Allan Stewart)
Performed by Marilyn Manson
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Embarrassing...

I don't know where to begin.. It'd take me longer than the movies runtime to describe how truly awful Gamer is. Gamer is basically an amalgam of The Running Man (even to the point of having a character named Ben Richard), Johnny Mnemonic (with Ludicrous (sic) in a carbon-copy role of Ice-T) with a touch of Robocop (directive 4), but at least it gets to mention 'tea-bagging' (yay?).

From the offset the movie looks and feels like it has been written by a horny 13 year old, and it's all down hill from there. The story and story-telling are poor, the characters one dimensional and the script abysmal. Why anyone agreed to be involved in this picture is beyond me, especially when the supporting cast consists of John Leguizamo, Kyra Sedgewick and Keith David, all solid performers on their day.

If you want to see a film about games/virtual reality, you'd be far better off watching The Lawnmower Man, TRON or eXistenZ, or waiting for the upcoming TRON: Legacy. On the other hand, if you want to see a rehash of some of my favourite tongue-in-cheek sci-fi movies (but without the story) then be my guest....but don't say I didn't warn you.

3/10 (purely for the mention of tea-bagging)