| View Larger Image | The Game | DVDStarring: Michael Douglas, Deborah Kara Unger, Sean Penn, James Rebhorn, Peter Donat
Directed By: David Fincher
Also With: Ceán Chaffin (Producer), John D. Brancato (Producer), John D. Brancato (Writer), Jonathan Mostow (Producer), Michael Ferris (Producer), Michael Ferris (Writer), Steve Golin (Producer)
| List Price: | $12.98 | | Price: | $12.49 | | You Save: | $0.49 (4%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | DVD | | Rating: |  | | Run Time: | 128 minutes | | Format: | Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC | | Studio: | Universal Studios | | Number of Discs: | 1 | | Aspect Ratio: | 2.35:1 | | Release Date: | August 27, 2002 | | Sales Rank: | 2,793nd |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
AN UNSETTLING, PARANOIA-INDUCING THRILLER ABOUT AN EXTREME FORM OF INVASION OF PRIVACY. THE GAME IS AN INCREDIBLE MIND-GAME OF A MOVIE. THIS UNUSUAL DIVE INTO THE AMBIGUOUS WORLD OF UNDEFINED PASTIME WITHOUT APPARENT RULES GENERATES ACHILLY INTELLECTUAL INTRIGUE. |
Amazon.com
It's not quite as clever as it tries to be, but The Game does a tremendous job of presenting the story of a rigid control freak trapped in circumstances that are increasingly beyond his control. Michael Douglas plays a rich, divorced, and dreadful investment banker whose 48th birthday reminds him of his father's suicide at the same age. He's locked in the cage of his own misery until his rebellious younger brother (Sean Penn) presents him with a birthday invitation to play "The Game" (described as "an experiential Book of the Month Club")--a mysterious offering from a company called Consumer Recreation Services. Before he knows the game has even begun, Douglas is caught up in a series of unexplained events designed to strip him of his tenuous security and cast him into a maelstrom of chaos. How do you play a game that hasn't any rules? That's what Douglas has to figure out, and he can't always rely on his intelligence to form logic out of what's happening to him. Seemingly cast as the fall guy in a conspiracy thriller, he encounters a waitress (Deborah Unger) who may or may not be trustworthy, and nothing can be taken at face value in a world turned upside down. Douglas is great at conveying the sheer panic of his character's dilemma, and despite some lapses in credibility and an anticlimactic ending, The Game remains a thinking person's thriller that grabs and holds your attention. --Jeff Shannon |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 220 reviews)
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six excellent reasons to check out THE GAME and one ? by B. Lafave (lakeland , fl)  5 Stars
November 14, 2009
1. ALIEN 3 (flawed but worthy) 2. PANIC ROOM (thrilling , worthy) 3. ZODIAC (riveting , worthy) 4. SE7EN (FREEMAN was born to play SOMMERSET , horrific , worthy) 5. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BEJAMIN BUTTON (sensuous , a celebration of women , worthy) 6. THE GAME (riviting and thrilling , worthy) 7. FIGHT CLUB (surreal , compelling , should be nc-17 , flawed , ?)
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Mystery Suspense Thriller-Worth Seeing by drkhimxz (Freehold, NJ, USA)  4 Stars
November 09, 2009
I have reservations about this film which involve matters which cannot be discussed without taking an edge off it. Suffice to say that, despite my reservations, I can recommend it with little qualification. Michael Douglas is good as the central character, the others do what they are supposed to do competently. The creative and directorial staffs did a good job of creating the game plan but quite visible flaws remain nonetheless. These will probably influence one's aftertaste but not much the pleasures of the film. See it if you can.
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Mind Over Matter and No Excuses by Strawgold (Wyoming) 4 Stars
June 27, 2009
Here is my take on an older movie that already has over 200 reviews - I have seen it twice because it is worthy of that acknowledgment:
Nicholas Van Orton lives a cold, sterile life, haunted by the suicide of his father which has indelibly marked him as a child who witnessed it - he can't get it out of his mind.
His birthday is coming up, another one of them he doesn't see any use for. Everyone wishes him well, from a distance, because that is what is required of anyone who knows him. His estranged little brother, Conrad, the exact opposite of himself in personality, but who also had personal issues he had to deal with, calls him, posing as an old friend, Seymore Butts - because he obviously thinks that's the only way the invitation will be accepted since his social standing has suffered in comparison with his successful, distant older brother - requesting his presence at dinner. This does draw a sort of smile from the cast iron face of Nicholas, and he sets it up through his secretary. A painful dinner conversation ensues, and the roguish little brother presents Nicholas with a gift - a gift certificate to play a reality game, although nothing is known or revealed about it. He thinks it's a bunch of hooey, but it's paid for, so he decides what the heck.
Things happen rapidly from there on and it is best to not reveal the plot, mainly because it's impossible. But there is a message if one wants to look for it through the fray.
My Summary: It was an action flick with an embedded message: Life is what you make it and you need to live it while it is in front of you rather than using crutches or casting blame for things you cannot control. That may be easier said than done but the concept is a truth. You don't need drugs, alcohol or psychiatrists because real life is a trip of it's own if you have the nerve to go for it - no excuses, and the devil take the hindmost. But you DO need to live it and enjoy it; you DO need love and your own people around you or the whole thing is for nothing. And sometimes that should be worthy of a self-analysis before it's too late.
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One of my top 10 favorite movies by Natalie Lupton (Richmond, VA) 5 Stars
June 02, 2009
I really like Michael Douglas, & he doesn't disappoint in this suspense thriller. If you love movies that keep you on the edge of your seat this movie delivers!
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The Movie Is Great..However... by Bluzfan1 (Illinois in the U.S.A.)  1 Stars
March 27, 2009
First of all, "The Game" is an awesome and exciting thriller of a movie. I highly recommend checking it out.
However..I purchased this movie for a hearing impaired relative of mine based on the fact that Amazon's Product Details description CLEARLY states..
Subtitles: English, Spanish.
There are in fact NO English subtitles, but only Spanish. And my relative now has a movie that is totally useless to her!
I think Amazon needs to print their product details based on correct facts so that other buyers won't make the same misinformed mistake.
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