The Game (1997)

Starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger, and James Rebhorn.  Cinematography by Harris Savides.  Edited by James Haygood.  Produced by Cean Chaffin and Steve Golin. Written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. Directed by David Fincher.

Nicolas Van Orton (played by Michael Douglas) is wealthy and bored.  He works as a banker by day and then retires to his lavish mansion to spend his nights alone.  On his forty-eighth birthday, which ironically is the same age that his father committed suicide, his brother (played by Sean Penn) presents him with a business card for a company called Consumer Recreation Services and tells him that his gift is to have his life filled with fun again. 

Van Orton is skeptical but visits CRS the next day.  He has vigorous physical and mental tests done, but is later informed that he has failed to qualify for “the game”. Little does he know that the game has already begun.

A series of events unravel, starting with something simple as his pen leaking, that leave him in a coffin somewhere in Mexico. So why is he there?  How does he get home? What happens to him next?  That is the object of the game; to determine what the object of the game is.

The Game was supposedly inspired by a real life game that rich people play.  Not as seemingly life threatening as the film’s rendition, the real game is more or less a grandiose scavenger hunt. For a large entry fee, teams get a clue that leads them to another clue and so on. There are elaborately staged events and circumstances that the teams either need to negotiate or navigate through to get from point to point.  In the end there is no prize, only the pride of completion, and proceeds are donated to charity.

David Fincher again takes a beautifully written script and makes it better with his impeccable direction.  The film has a fantastic rhythm to it that keeps it moving but gives you time to process what is happening.  He uses light to paint shadows that amplify the mystery in the story. 

The script, written by screenwriting team of John Brancato and Michael Ferris (and doctored by an uncredited Andrew Kevin Walker), is smart and fun. Mundane details suddenly become major plot points, leaving you desperate for a second viewing.  Though lighter-spirited than most of Fincher’s work, The Game is yet another example of his expert filmmaking.

Budget: $50,000,000

Total US Gross: $48,265,581

Genre: Mystery

Runtime: 128 Minutes

US Release Date: 9/12/97

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Awards: none

Tagline: Players Wanted.

Quote: “Discovering the object of the game is the object of the game.”