Hollywoood-style entertainment at its best

Rating: 8/10 (26 October 2008)

Nicholas Van Orten is a billionaire who has forgotten how to enjoy himself, and how to connect with anyone else. An ex-wife with whom he has little or no contact, a younger prodigal brother, and memories of a father who took his own life are the only human points of contact in his orbit. Pretty poor fare, and his plight is hardly going to top anyone's sympathy list.
Fincher gives the whole thing high production values and a sinister sheen, adding pace and intrigue throughout. He makes excellent use of shadows and light, casting Van Orton's home is a particularly frosty hue. The story moves along briskly and economically, Van Orten fighting to retain control (his biggest fear being to lose control) of a situation that escalates rapidly in a series of adrenaline rushes. The sleek cars, expensive suits and chrome office buildings give way to Mexican dirt and dust and a bus ride with chickens. And that is the game just starting.
Michael Douglas may lack range, but he can match any actor alive in the sneering stakes. Sean Penn is a nice counterpoint, rash and unruly but somehow charming with it.
This isn't a film with a message (except for the inevitable thinly-disguised morality tale element Hollywood so often insists on), and you probably won't watch it twice. But for slick, high paced entertainment that keeps you guessing till the end, this is a great one-off film.