The Game
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Movie Reviews of The Game
Movie Review: Gordon Gecco gets hit by a truck
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't help but harken back to Michael Douglas's terriffic portrayal as a stock market financier in Wall Street. His character in The Game is strikingly similar to Gordon Gecco, except the dissimilarity of the Game's Orton is that instead of truly enjoying the merits of massive money monkey malarchy, he seems only interested in attaining more of it at the cost of no personal life whatsoever.
Douglas is again, his usual thriller great self. We see him at the true zenith of perfection in his attempts to discover the secrets of the corporation that set forth this intriguing but upsetting game which seems to be much more than the simplicity originally implied.
Oh sure, we expect something special in his brother's gift, but we certainly dont expect to be so far on the edge of our seat that we are getting cramps in our butts just trying to stay there.
What I truly loved about this movie is my own lack of ability to come to a true answer as to what was really going on. So often, it is within my and other's nature to try and be smart and figure out the intended ending, only to be found right and then slightly disappointed that the writer and director didn't go past our expectations. Not so with The Game. Game takes you so deep into this man's downward spiral while "playing" this deceptive game, figuring out it's true intent becomes second nature. By the end, your nerves are so shatterred from the journey, you feel like you've been right there with Van Orton experiencing every nuance of the events in reality yourself. Plus, the finale is truly magnificent, which I cannot spoil here. This movie is a true must for anyone who is a fan of movies that not only make you think, but defy the typical Hollywood thriller model.
Movie Review: A story of personal transformation
Summary: 5 Stars
Reading some of the reviews here what seems missing is what I believe is the essential theme of this work --- personal transformation. Michael Douglas' character is trapped, or to be more precise stuck. He is stuck at a level of personal development (mean spirited, suspicious, cynical, isolated and alone --- he is an Investment Banker) in which he is intensely dissatisfied with himself and all around him. Though he does not realize it, he must move beyond his current "self" if he is to realize his full (though currently latent) potential as a human being. His brother - Sean Penn - realizes this and hence gives him a "game" for his birthday - since Penn the "black sheep" of the family had had a game given to him by some unnamed character and it had helped "awaken" him to a new self.
The game is the necessary transformative vehicle for Douglas' character which forces a reassessment of himself and his outlook on life --- but only through a complete breakdown and displacement of his current self and his connection with the world that he had made --- and had in turn now trapped him.
It is through the ensuing trauma and the culminating attempted suicide that allows him to emerge "reborn" and with a new outlook and new "self". Thus the climactic and happy ending with the well wishers at his birthday party in spite of the fact that a moment ago he had just "murdered" his brother and leapt to his "death".
What this movie portrays is the classical mythological journey of trial and trauma where the old self is destroyed and a new self emerges like a beautiful butterfly from an ugly caterpillar.
Movie Review: Michael Douglas is thrilling in The Game!
Summary: 5 Stars
Nicholas Van Orton, a rather wealthy and successful man, played by Michael Douglas, is the sort of guy who wants to be... and is in control of all aspects of his life.
He likes order but his brother gives him a gift on his birthday that brings life as he knows it, to an abrupt end. His brother, played by Sean Penn, has enrolled him in "The Game," an experiential set of circumstances that progressively take Mr. Van Orton from rigid control of his surroundings to sheer chaos.
Michael Douglas is great as the rich, divorced, and lonely man, an investment banker, who... on his 48th birthday is haunted by the memories of a father who chose to commit suicide rather than confront life.
As the game starts, the company called CRS, or Consumer Recreation Services, involves Nicholas Van Orton in a series of events that bring him from anxiety to paranoia, to the depth of depression, through fear, anger, violence, seduction, and action... lots of action.
We are soon caught in the game, thrilled by the reality of what is happening to Van Orton, and horrified at the fact that everything around him appears to be so real. Van Orton's intelligence carries him through most of the impediments, but the apparent reality overwhelms him and at some point, he is simply out of control.
Michael Douglas is awesome as he conveys a sense of dread... of sheer panic that kept us riveted on his every move. Would highly recommend seeing this film, especially if you like solving puzzles... getting scared... in a world where everything is simply... out of control.
Movie Review: A happy-ending action movie, full of suspense
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have seen some of Michael Douglas'es other movies, such as "Romancing the stone" and "The jewel of Nile" -- well, "The Game" is an action-adventure movie, similar to those. But this time, the adventure happens in a city environment - in San Francisco. The "game" is organized by a company called "Consumer Recreation Services", who make your life more "FUN".
This movie kept me on the edge of my seat. The reason is that the things which happen to Van Orton (the banker played by Michael Douglas) have happened to me as well - in some way or another. Perhaps they have happened to you too. For example, you visit some company, and at your next visit - the company is gone. Or sometimes, you may experience that someone is draining your bank account without your knowledge. Or, a waitress splashes food and drinks on your suit.
I definitely recommend this movie, because it is captivating to watch. For example, the house in which the banker Van Orton lives, is large and luxurious. It is nice to imagine yourself in the interior of this house. The "waitress" than ruins the banker's suit is very beautiful. I would say that Michael Douglas definitely has a taste for luxirious living and beautiful women - this shows in most of his movies. Enjoy this film and participate emotionally in the blurred line between game and real life.
Movie Review: The initiation of a millionaire
Summary: 5 Stars
Nicholas Van Orton (Douglas) thinks that he has everything - this is true only is we consider material possessions (a vast house, millions of dollars, an enviable reputation, etc.). What he is lacking is the access to the sacred and to his true Self. CRS is there to help, courtesy of his brother Conrad (Penn). But Van Orton will have to get rid of all that he previously stood for and accept to lose himself in the unknown. While some viewers have objected to the film's outrageous events and progression, this is precisely what draws me to it: its willingness to dispense with 'believable' developments makes Van Orton's quest all the more powerful. The movie could have been subtitled 'The initiation of a millionaire', because Van Orton undergoes numerous archetypal trials: he is stuck in a car underwater (in the belly of the monster); he is buried alive; his descensus ad infernos is such that he (literally) has to make a death-defying jump in a garbage dump; he has to find his way through mazes and use secret keys; most scenes take place in darkness. By the time he becomes a new man late in the movie, he has already died three or four times! Perceptive viewers will discover far more than a strandard thriller here, if they allow themselves to dig under the surface... a remarkable film.