when considering david fincher 's latest film , " the game " , four words come to mind .
" do n't believe the hype .
"
this michael douglas vehicle , from the director of " seven " , is n't nearly as clever or innovatively suspenseful
as it would have us believe .
the film draws us in with an intriguing concept ( aided no doubt by the riveting trailer ) where a jaded millionaire ( douglas ) is presented with the opportunity to enter into a living fantasy .
this is n't simply virtual reality .
this is real life with a deadly twist .
on his 48th birthday , nicholas van orton ( douglas ) is invited to dinner by his underachieving younger brother , conrad ( sean penn ) .
conrad has a special birthday present for his brother .
he hands nicholas a gift certificate and tells him to contact a company called consumer recreation services .
"
they make your life fun , " conrad tells him .
nicholas humors his brother , telling him he 'll call , but it 's clear he has no time for any foolish , " fantasy role - playing , " as he calls it .
then , for reasons that are never really made clear , nicholas decides to go to crs and see what they 're all about .
he ends up spending a whole day going through their screening process , which to me made no sense considering the tight schedule he keeps claiming to have .
nevertheless , when it seems nicholas has been rejected as a crs client , the weird things start happening .
of course , when we 've only covered about 30 minutes of screen time , what else should we expect .
douglas has built his modern career around playing powerful , violent and unlikable men being manipulated by unseen hands .
one of those films , " basic instinct " , came from the creative minds of writer , joe eszterhas and director , paul verhoeven .
the premise of " the game , " is not unlike the concept of another verhoeven film , " total recall .
" in that case , the premise was implanting someone else 's memories as a way to enhance one 's own life through a dream vacation .
yet , in both films , the real goal is to create a vicarious bond with the audience .
we live the adventure along with the protagonist , reacting to each twist and turn .
in theory , the key to the suspense is not being to tell what is real and what is n't .
all we can do is hang on until the end of the ride , when the truth is finally revealed .
now , for those of you who forgot , let me say this again .
" do n't believe the hype .
"
" the game " is not a thrilling roller coaster ride .
as a suspense - thriller , it does n't do much but spin in circles .
by the third reel , i was fighting back sleep and checking my watch as i endured the predictable plot
.
is it any wonder douglas wo n't be able to resist the charms of a mysterious , potentially life - threatening blonde ( ever heard of glenn close ?
no ?
well , how about sharon stone ? thought
so ) .
if anything in this film surprises you at all , i would guess you have n't seen that many films .
there is no suspense here .
trust me , i looked hard to find some .
i had to settle for contrived gimmicks and ridiculously implausible situations .
fincher aim 's for hitchcock but lands somewhere just north of joe eszterhas .
there are those that might say " the game " is not intended to be viewed literally .
i would submit that is exactly the way i tried to view the film .
the film simply does not have the teeth to bite into any real psychological issues .
there is a moment early in the film where van orton , realizing his game has begun , smiles as he walks through the airport trying to figure out who 's in on the whole thing .
he is charged by his paranoia .
he is looking at the world through new eyes .
it is the last thought - provoking moment in the film .
from there on , the director only wants to stay a step ahead of us .
any significant archetype that is set up in the beginning of the film is simply turned into a plot device .
at the outset , we 're told each " game " is tailored to the individual .
ultimately , this " game " is supposed to work like a crucible , trying this obscenely wealthy and emotionally detached aristocrat by fire , proving his soul .
yet , as douglas endures his personal gauntlet , we 're given very few pieces of the puzzle to illuminate us on who this man really is .
i wanted to like this film more than i did .
i look at it as just anothergreat idea , poorly realized .
i can think of at least two other superior films where watching the film did n't mean we were seeing what was really happening .
bryan singer 's " the usual suspects " for one , a film that was truly unique in its ability to get you lost in the details before pulling back to show you the full masterpiece on the canvas .
also , there is the underrated " jacob 's ladder , " with tim robbins , a film that really has to be watched twice before you recognize the significance of all its symbolism .
here are two examples of films that do n't simply manipulate for manipulations ' sake .
there are films that use their labyrinth structure to lead us to a meaningful place .
one major issue that comes up in " the game " is whether or not the whole " illusion " is just a highly sophisticated con game .
well , i can tell you right now , after you 've spent your $ 7 dollars , you may be asking yourself the same thing .
there is no suspense here is n't nearly as clever or innovatively suspenseful contrived gimmicks and ridiculously implausible situations any significant archetype that is set up in the beginning of the film is simply turned into a plot device i was fighting back sleep and checking my watch as i endured the predictable plot do n't believe the hype