The Gamechangers (2015)

The struggle of Houser's legal feud against American lawyer Jack Thompson, over the morality of the Grand Theft Auto video game series.

Director:

Owen Harris

Writer:

James Wood

Stars:

Daniel Radcliffe, Bill Paxton, Joe Dempsie

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Daniel Radcliffe	...	Sam Houser
Bill Paxton	...	Jack Thompson
Joe Dempsie	...	Jamie King
Lex King	...	Hillary Clinton's PA
Ryan Gage	...	Jounalist / Presenter / Crowd (voice)
Michelle Allen	...	Kiera
Alex McGregor	...	Bridjet
Jay Benedict	...	Reporter (voice)
James Gracie	...	Tom Masters (as James Alexander)
Buffy Davis	...	US Police Dispatcher (voice)
Inge Beckmann	...	Michelle Gerilikos
Nick Boraine	...	Doug Lowenstein
Demetri Goritsas	...	US Radio DJ (voice)
D. David Morin	...	Judge Moore
Stephen Jennings	...	Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

Storyline

In the late 1990s middle class British brothers Sam and Dan Houser and two friends, all video game enthusiasts, devise a violent new game Grand Theft Auto, set in a fictionalized America and appearing to reward a car thief for murdering anybody who gets in the way of his crimes. In Britain the Police Federation brands it as sick and contemptible whilst politician Hillary Clinton accuses it of "stealing the innocence of our children." Most vocal of its critics is crusading Florida lawyer Jack Thompson who, in the wake of an Alabama teen-ager going on a killing spree and blaming the game, attempts to get it banned, bringing a court action against the Housers and their company Rockstar Games, now based in San Diego. However Thompson's public denunciation of the game is instrumental in determining the outcome of the court case.

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Plot Keywords:

docudrama | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the reasons why Daniel Radcliffe was keen to take part in the production was because he was a huge fan of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City growing up.

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Goofs

The film features scenes where Rockstar staff can be seen as if they are programming the game in New York City where its headquarters are based; the game was produced by Rockstar North, based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Connections

References Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

User Reviews

The Gamechangers: What it really was

Critics, even Rockstar themselves, have been very negative of the recent release (15th September 2015) of The Gamechangers. It has been slated for being poorly acted or not accurate to the real-life events or even just plain bad; but what these opinionated reviews are missing is the entire pragmatic of the film.

The Gamechangers clearly states, without sounding like one of lawyers in the film, that the scenes shown have been altered for dramatic effect (or words to that effect) thus any point on how realistic the film really was is entirely out of the question, all that matters is that the events happened. Just happened. And what this film really did was present both sides of the argument in, for possibly the first time in the film industry, a balanced manner.

In my personal opinion the film does not romanticise any aspect of the lives of each side of the GTA debate, which can be generalised to the entire argument of violent video games, and even if, as a viewer, the viewer feels they liked or were made to associate more with a certain type of character, or one side of the argument, more then they must ask themselves if a character on the opposing side could not be empathised with by a different type of person. In film, everyone feels a connection with a certain type of character and those characters vary. Some prefer the villain to the hero, the Joker to Batman and so on. Yet as the film finishes, which ever character you empathise with the most you cannot but feel as thought you are stuck in two minds, debating with yourself, about who really is the most respectable, honourable or even moral character in this tale. The plain exclamation that --- remains on death row seems to provide a led weight on the conscious if you associate more with the GTA team or, conversely, the amount of money and respect Rockstar still gain, as is stated, provides a balancer for those who associate with the moral movement against violent video games for developing minds. Either way both sides have characters presented as mad, immoral and ugly whilst also portraying aspects of good, revolution and development.

In essence, this film has provided a non-biased ending, which the viewer can take away not a sense of excitement or pleasure from their film but rather leave in a contemplative and quizzical state. And that is rare for modern film. This picture has, as is the aim of many of the characters, broken down barriers and revolutionised real-life based film. But the question after you have balanced your moral scale and decided on a place to stand is why have films documenting real events not provided as bleak and factual interpretation as this one previously?

Real-life dramas should let us make up our own minds. And I believe this film has taken the first step in letting us do so.

Details

Official Sites:

BBC Media Official Website BBC Two Official Website

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 2015 (UK)

Also Known As:

Grand Theft Auto

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Scotland)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1