Featured Audience Ratings

• Greg S

  
  A misanthropic millionaire gets a strange birthday present from his brother: an invitation to play in "the game," a contest that turns out to have no clear rules but lots of gunplay. Solid thriller that keeps you wondering to the end and disguises its many implausibilities… More
  A misanthropic millionaire gets a strange birthday present from his brother: an invitation to play in "the game," a contest that turns out to have no clear rules but lots of gunplay. Solid thriller that keeps you wondering to the end and disguises its many implausibilities well enough so you don't think about them much until the movie's over.

• Melvin W

  
  Nicholas: I don't care about the money. I'm pulling back the curtain. I want to meet the wizard.  "There are no rules in The Game." The Game is, above anything else, a lot of fun. It's not just entertaining in the ways normal films are, but it actively keeps… More
  Nicholas: I don't care about the money. I'm pulling back the curtain. I want to meet the wizard.  "There are no rules in The Game." The Game is, above anything else, a lot of fun. It's not just entertaining in the ways normal films are, but it actively keeps you in the experience like few movies can. It sucks you in, and your goal is the same as the movies tormented character Nicholas: to find out just what the fuck is going on. Is someone fucking with him? Is he hallucinating? Is he dreaming? Is this a con? Is this a true present? Who the fuck knows, but the lead up to the discovery is magnificent. So what if the payoff is a little too easy. The other 99% of the film is hallucinatory. I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. It's David Fincher doing what he does best. And it's Michael Douglas doing what he does best. Hey, and Sean Penn is there too. What isn't to like?  Nicholas is an investment banker, who doesn't really do anything other than work. He doesn't have any true relationships anymore outside of his housekeeper. He meets his brother, Conrad, who he hasn't seen in sometime. Conrad gives a birthday gift and it isn't the usual birthday gift. He gives Nicholas a certificate to play some sort of game that is different for every customer. When he decides to go to the CRS office and see what it's all about, his life is thrown upside down. He soon finds himself seeking answers to just what is going on. It's a movie thats pieces fall in place as it goes, and as they do, we discover that this puzzle has some glaring holes in it. Some pieces were lost along the way, but that can't take much away from just how well paced and directed and acted, this film was.  The Game winds up being a smart, stylish film in the end, no matter how it is wrapped up. There's a trend to Fincher films. They are all smart and stylish. The movies style is equaled by its substance. I appreciate how far this movie goes to warp our view of the situations and occurrences of the events in Nicholas' game experience. The twist at the end isn't one that will completely make or break the movie in your mind. It's just there. The lead up is the movie. The twist is just some way to end it.  A highly recommended film. If you can't have fun watching The Game, then I don't what type of movie could make you have fun. This one is as entertaining a movie as you could hope for. Is it as good, technically speaking, as Fincher's other thrillers like Seven and Fight Club? No, but it is just as involving, twisted, and entertaining. Another movie to use as evidence to show just how great of a director Fincher is. 

• Kase V

  
  David Fincher's sophomore bout 'The Game' should not disappoint any remote fan of his. Yet the average viewer may find few things to dissipate their interest. The mood is a chronic gloom that has found its way into most of Fincher's work, and 'The Game'… More
  David Fincher's sophomore bout 'The Game' should not disappoint any remote fan of his. Yet the average viewer may find few things to dissipate their interest. The mood is a chronic gloom that has found its way into most of Fincher's work, and 'The Game' may be the worst offender. It's not entirely a bad thing that the movie has a very dark mood, but it is nice to see some glance of positivity every once in awhile. The script isn't his best either, but the acting was done well. 'The Game' is far from Fincher's best, but tht does not mean it is hard to enjoy. This is a moody thriller that takes its viewer for a spin. An exhausting conundrum of a spin, but a spin no less.

• Tsubaki S

  
  It's the movie everyone should be watching instead of Fight Club. Like that one this is about a man who discovers how hollow and empty his life has been, but he doesn't go out and start a cult, he gets the carpet pulled under him to make him realize that we shouldn't… More
  It's the movie everyone should be watching instead of Fight Club. Like that one this is about a man who discovers how hollow and empty his life has been, but he doesn't go out and start a cult, he gets the carpet pulled under him to make him realize that we shouldn't take for granted a lot of things in life.

• Jens S

  
  While not as evil as Se7en and not as trippy as Fight Club this is still pure David Fincher excellence. Like Michael Douglas while playing the game (or being played by the game?) the audience also has no clue what is going on, as the plot is playing with expectations and plot twists… More
  While not as evil as Se7en and not as trippy as Fight Club this is still pure David Fincher excellence. Like Michael Douglas while playing the game (or being played by the game?) the audience also has no clue what is going on, as the plot is playing with expectations and plot twists just to solve it all in the most surprising and yet only logic solution. A very smart and convincing thriller with stylized images of paranoia and confusion. Far from Fincher's best, but it already says a lot when his less perfect works are such excellent movies.

• Jim C

  
  The Game is a mind bending and incredible thriller, and is just another reason David Fincher is one of the best directors in cinema. The plot is one of the most intense, mind bending, and incredible plots ever told, you cannot miss one minute or else you will be totally lost, what a… More
  The Game is a mind bending and incredible thriller, and is just another reason David Fincher is one of the best directors in cinema. The plot is one of the most intense, mind bending, and incredible plots ever told, you cannot miss one minute or else you will be totally lost, what a beautifully made script. The cast is incredible, Michael Duglas is a one of a kind actor in almost all his films, and he plays his part so well that I felt like I was becoming more insane with the game as he is. The score was amazing, it was at every right moment and it made the films intense moments a lot better. The cinematography is also great, very nicely done. The game is not just another David Fincher film, its a intense and great thriller that toys with your mind, and it migh be in the ranks mind bending films such as Inception, Memento, or Zodiac (another Fincher film), and The Game is truly one of a kind.

• Kyle F

  
  This is a brilliant movie. It's riveting, creative, and inspiring. A healthy balance of mystery, suspense, and humor are sure to keep you entertained. Michael Douglas is great, and so is David Fincher's direction and the creepy score. You will feel everything the film makers… More
  This is a brilliant movie. It's riveting, creative, and inspiring. A healthy balance of mystery, suspense, and humor are sure to keep you entertained. Michael Douglas is great, and so is David Fincher's direction and the creepy score. You will feel everything the film makers want you to feel exactly when they want you to feel it.

• Emil K

  
  By far the most Hitchcockian of Fincher's films. With it's calculated camerawork and echoes of North by Northwest, this film has lots in common with Hitchcock. The Game came after Fincher's masterful Seven and falls far behind from that film's quality. While Harris… More
  By far the most Hitchcockian of Fincher's films. With it's calculated camerawork and echoes of North by Northwest, this film has lots in common with Hitchcock. The Game came after Fincher's masterful Seven and falls far behind from that film's quality. While Harris Savides does wonderful job as a director of photography, same cannot be said about the screenplay. What begins as a stylishly entertaining thriller, soon spirals out control and becomes nearly ridicilous. Plot holes keeps on building and when it reaches it's absurd climax, the whole thing collapses like a house of cards. If you are willing to go with the story, then you are in for a good and harmless entertainment. I myself enjoyed it to the certain point, but i didn't buy the silly plot for a second.

• Emile T

  
  This was pretty deceiving because of its several plotholes and unconvincing ending, but I was watching this for David Fincher and his direction didn't disappoint one bit, although we feel he was given the project as a command and wasn't originally set to direct. We see that… More
  This was pretty deceiving because of its several plotholes and unconvincing ending, but I was watching this for David Fincher and his direction didn't disappoint one bit, although we feel he was given the project as a command and wasn't originally set to direct. We see that he has put a lot more interest and attention to Se7en and Fight Club, two other of his films of the '90s. The screenplay itself isn't bad but it decided to completely forget its plotholes in order to make this unrealistic storyline see the end and the whole thing is compensated by Fincher's work, which builds the tension as few other directors manage to. Plus, Michael Douglas gives here a terrific performance.

• Mark W

  
  Following up the magnificent, visceral serial killer thriller "Se7en" was always going to be a hard task for director David Fincher but with this, he opts for an equally dark, yet more playful, mind-fuck thriller. Egotistical, successful businessman Nicholas Van Orton… More
  Following up the magnificent, visceral serial killer thriller "Se7en" was always going to be a hard task for director David Fincher but with this, he opts for an equally dark, yet more playful, mind-fuck thriller. Egotistical, successful businessman Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) gets an unusual birthday present from his brother Conrad (Sean Penn) - a gift certificate for a sophisticated recreational company that stages a 'game,' the nature of which is never revealed. Before long, Nicholas' entire existence is torn apart as he desperately clings to his life and his sanity. First off, this film has got plot holes aplenty but if you give yourself over to it and suspend your disbelief, this is a very enjoyable edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller. Fincher knows what he doing and wrings out the suspense at every turn. The twists and turns of the plot are so relentless that it's easy to identify with the desperation of Douglas' character. Admittedly, I'm not his biggest fan but Douglas is absolutely superb in this. He captures the arrogance and egotistical nature he portrayed before, from his Oscar winning signature role 'Gordon Gekko' in "Wall Street" and couples it with a fragile vulnerability. The unravelling of his character is masterful and he delivers a very entertaining performance that just about manages to take your mind of the sheer implausability of the story. Like "Se7en", Fincher's ability to craft an environment that's dark and depressing is once again captured, helped by subtly excellent cinematographer Harris Savides. There is a gloomy air of dread throughout and nothing ever seems natural, adding to the sense of unease as 'the game' unfolds. By the time the end credits roll and the final revelation is delivered, you'll feel as exhausted as Douglas looks. It doesn't take much to realise the whole thing simply doesn't hold up but if looked at as entertainment, then it's a winner. Farfetched and unlikely, but highly imaginative.

• paul o

  
  Probably one of the most unappreciated movies, The Game features an intense thriller featuring Michael Douglas as a rich entrepreneur who enters a reality-based game that starts to destroy his life. Either you love it or hate it, but in the end you gotta agree that the ending was… More
  Probably one of the most unappreciated movies, The Game features an intense thriller featuring Michael Douglas as a rich entrepreneur who enters a reality-based game that starts to destroy his life. Either you love it or hate it, but in the end you gotta agree that the ending was insane.

• Dean !

  
  I finally got round to seeing this and boy I'm glad I did! It's a brilliant multi layered thriller with twists a plenty that will have you guessing right up until the end. Oh and what an ending! There have been some great thrillers this year and this offering from '97… More
  I finally got round to seeing this and boy I'm glad I did! It's a brilliant multi layered thriller with twists a plenty that will have you guessing right up until the end. Oh and what an ending! There have been some great thrillers this year and this offering from '97 is up there with the best of the genre. Check this out!

• Derek D

  
  Not one of Fincher's best films, The Game suffers from a fairly weak plotline and too much action and story that goes nowhere. Most films with a premise like this allow the main character caught in something to gain more clues as the film prgresses, but not this one. Nicholas Van… More
  Not one of Fincher's best films, The Game suffers from a fairly weak plotline and too much action and story that goes nowhere. Most films with a premise like this allow the main character caught in something to gain more clues as the film prgresses, but not this one. Nicholas Van Orton - played rather brilliantly by Michael Douglas - gets more and more confused as the movie prgresses and his brother Conrad - played equally well by Sean Penn - has far too few scenes. The ending was disappointing as well and was very predictable. With some minor tweaks this might've been a decent movie but alas, it's nothing more than a bust requiring Douglas to carry the entire thing.

• Conner R

  
  It's taken a few times to finally get into this movie, but i'm glad I finally saw the whole thing through. While it's sort've unrealistic, but if you embrace the plot it works and you are able to enjoy it and get lost. The whole point is to show people what… More
  It's taken a few times to finally get into this movie, but i'm glad I finally saw the whole thing through. While it's sort've unrealistic, but if you embrace the plot it works and you are able to enjoy it and get lost. The whole point is to show people what they've been lacking in life and give them a scenario that will change them, so it's believable enough for me. The cinematography is very similar and as interesting as David Fincher's other movies, but there's a very particular color scheme to this which I really like. Michael Douglas is great and so is Sean Penn for the screen time he has. It's sort've a precursor to SAW and Inception, which would only make sense after you saw the movie.

• Albert K

  
  engaging and extremely entertaining... till the end. it ruined the entire movie for me. some may disagree.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  I'm usually not good at this type of thing, but I completely predicted the ending. Actually, the whole story is predictable. Not David Fincher's finest, but still enjoyable. For me, it wasn't engaging enough, nor suspenseful enough. But in Fincher's defense, there… More
  I'm usually not good at this type of thing, but I completely predicted the ending. Actually, the whole story is predictable. Not David Fincher's finest, but still enjoyable. For me, it wasn't engaging enough, nor suspenseful enough. But in Fincher's defense, there aren't a lot of ways you can make the action suspenseful when you know it's all a game, and everything will turn out okay in the end. Fine work by Michael Douglas, in an update of his 'Gordon Gekko' character from "Wall Street", as well as by Sean Penn.

• Aaron N

  
  Jim Feingold: The game is tailored specifically to each participant. Think of it as a great vacation, except you don't go to it, it comes to you. There is a point in the movie where the Michael Douglas character asks to know what he is getting into, the reply is to at least… More
  Jim Feingold: The game is tailored specifically to each participant. Think of it as a great vacation, except you don't go to it, it comes to you. There is a point in the movie where the Michael Douglas character asks to know what he is getting into, the reply is to at least admit that he is intrigued. I was, I thought about all the unbelievable things that happened and didn't care, because I wanted to figure out what was going to happen. Of course, what also helps is the atmosphere created by director David Fincher. Nicholas Van Orton, played by Douglas, is a very wealthy San Francisco banker, but he is an absolute loner, even spending his birthday alone. In the year of his 48th birthday (the age his father committed suicide) his brother Conrad, played by Sean Penn, who has gone long ago and surrendered to addictions of all kinds, suddenly returns and gives Nicholas a card giving him entry to unusual entertainment provided by something called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Giving up to curiosity, Nicholas visits CRS and is informed of the game he has been invited to participate in. After many tests and feeling it has been a colossal waste of time, Nick is told that he was rejected. Soon; however, all kinds of weird and bad things start to happen to him. As his life is slowly ripped apart, breaking down all of his humanity, Nick must find out how to submit to the game at play. Nicholas: I'm being toyed with by a bunch of depraved children. Every time I rewatch this film, I am struck by how there are two ways to take this film. One can either go with it or sit, watch, and take it apart. Its up to the viewer to try and find their way of appreciating a film, but certainly in a film like this its more fun to go with it. I'm sure the greater fans of this feature can probably argue all the ways that the premise does make sense, and that by the end everything could be explained in a rational way (something I believe rewatching the film could actually help with if you really paused and listened closely to individual moments). but again, I just like to go with it. Michael Douglas is a great choice in lead for this kind of film. Playing a character who is cold and lonely, with the last thing needed in his life is sudden upturn of his ways of going about things and constant forms of what is basically harassment and humiliation. Its quite intriguing to see a man like this slowly tormented and torn down. With all that unfolds in the plot, there is certainly a lot of things to dissect about the ways this film tries to mind fuck Douglas, but that only brings me back to my main arguments of how to take this film. All that is really left is how it is put together, and Fincher's direction is solid. Slowly making the proceedings tenser and tenser as Nick seems be mentally broken down as time goes on, a scene late in the film, finding Nick stranded in a place far from home certainly rings true in how we are supposed to feel for this character. The visual style that evokes a heavy control in how to present a story with a dark sense, while remaining both cinematic and engaging is certainly found here. Certainly an intriguing watch. Nicholas: I don't care about the money. I'm pulling back the curtain. I want to meet the wizard.

• xGary X

  
  Businessman Michael Douglas is powerful and wealthy but joyless and emotionally distant, so his mischievous younger brother Sean Penn buys him a part in a "game" that quickly spirals out of control. David Fincher's follow up to Seven contains the same brooding, dark… More
  Businessman Michael Douglas is powerful and wealthy but joyless and emotionally distant, so his mischievous younger brother Sean Penn buys him a part in a "game" that quickly spirals out of control. David Fincher's follow up to Seven contains the same brooding, dark atmosphere and slick visuals as you'd expect, and his assured direction combined with the perfectly cast Douglas compliment an intriguing premise. The story constantly wrong foots you as you are never quite sure what is "real", and it makes for a very interesting off beat concept for a thriller. Unfortunately, The Game's script is one of those that just does not know when to stop and gets a little too twist happy for its own good. Upon the first twist in the tale, I was enjoying the film immensely. When the second came along, I though "OK, I'll bite" as it was still interesting, if a little implausible, reminding me a little of mindbending 60s TV show The Prisoner. But when twist three reared its head I was beginning to lose patience, and "implausible" swiftly gave way to "preposterous". It's certainly a very well made film, but your enjoyment will hinge on just how much disbelief you can suspend and I'm afraid by the end I just wasn't buying it any more.

• Wahida K

  
  This was a great Joy to watch.

• Chris W

  
  David Fincher's The Game is a taught, well-written, well-conceived and expertly directed suspense thriller that features a wonderfully creepy atmosphere and some terrific performances, especially from Michael Douglas. *Mild spoiler* the ending isn't downbeat like some of… More
  David Fincher's The Game is a taught, well-written, well-conceived and expertly directed suspense thriller that features a wonderfully creepy atmosphere and some terrific performances, especially from Michael Douglas. *Mild spoiler* the ending isn't downbeat like some of Fincher's other films, which is kind of weird, but with the way it is, it is an interesting take on A Christmas Carol, and that is fine by me.

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