I'm not much of a video-game player, but I would love to play this GAME

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2009)

(Despite my efforts, this review contains spoilers. Please completely avoid reading this, or ANY review, until you see it. But to sum up my own review: YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE. Okay, then read my review. At least, I didn't say you MUST READ MY REVIEW. That part's optional.) The Game was very close to receiving the rare 5/5 star rating. What held it back to 4½ stars was the very ending, meaning the last 1½ minutes that were slightly "off" and the repeat-viewing dilemma. I'll explain: The entire movie is one surprise after another leading up to a shocking finale and after one viewing, the entire suspense is, well, gone. And I'm not talking about just finding out Luke is Darth's son or the ending to Planet of the Apes. Heck, Fight Club also enjoyed its twist ending, but regardless of that revelation, you can watch that over and over. In this case, we're talking the entire movie.
Whew, the negative I hate to start on, is over. The Game is a great, suspenseful, fun, ingenious, crafty and original film. It's also funny, namely in the beginning. And to top it off, it's got excellent performances from both Unger and Douglas – who rarely lets me down. In fact, this is one of the top five best movies he's done. In a role that could've been easily played by someone "confused" on what was going on, Douglas added so much depth. You think you know him as a ruthless, soulless Wall Street tycoon, who's used to bullying people to his own needs, but as he breaks down in this movie, you really see the onion being peeled. In fact, I think the most underrated aspect of this movie, as good as the whole was, was Douglas's masterful performance as a lost soul who needs it back.
Douglas plays Nicholas, someone so rich (through both inheritance and his own determination later in life as a huge multibillion-dollar money-pusher) that even Bruce Wayne would ask him for a loan. It's shown early on that his father took his own life, I guess greed is not always, for lack of a better term, good. Nicholas is stuck fathering the young brother who grows into Penn, or Conrad. Due to these critical plot points – no spoiler, this is like in the first few minutes – Nicky never has a childhood, nor enjoyed life. But Conrad sure as heck did.
In what seems like a normal rehab, begging for money visit from Conrad, Nicholas is presented a gift from CRS from Conrad. Reluctantly, Nicholas coincidentally falls right into the CRS office and begins, what else?, the GAME.
The movie then turns very Total Recall-ish, but saved by reality and the real-life settings (all over the continent) and performances. Nicholas doesn't know what is real, or what is fake, neither does the audience who just sat back to enjoy the enormously fun ride Nicholas has to endure to solve or even survive the GAME.
Nicholas eventually befriends Christine (Unger) who may/may not know what's going on. When I say befriends, I mean, he thinks she's part of the gameHeck, it's hard to give anything away. Just watch this movie. Anything I reveal can be considered a spoiler. So, if you like mystery, suspense, action, adventure, Douglas and the great style and art of Director Fincher, you must watch this movie and explore and be intrigued by every minute, turn, twist and revolution.
Side Note: I wish I could go on, namely how unrealistic I found everything to be the first time. Really think about it when you finish, think about the tests andI've said too much. Watch this movie!