The Game (1997)

‘The Game’ is headlined by director David Fincher’s trademark claustrophobia, a recurring theme in his early work in films such as ‘Seven’, ‘Fight Club’ and ‘Panic Room’. His subjects are often pushed into intense hell holes where the thing that they most cherish is taken away; mostly control. They then must try and crawl out in a very limited time, with fast disappearing options. Nicholas Van Orten is one such victim that Fincher profiles.

Van Orten lives a rich yet colorless life as a wealthy investment banker on the outside. On the inside though, he carries a deep personal scar at having seen his father jump to his death, off the roof of their mansion.  As the film tells us, his life is modeled on his fathers’, disconnected and disinterested and having a controlling instinct. On his 38^th birthday, his younger brother Conrad gives him a gift voucher from a recreational services company that he guarantees will change Nicholas’ life. Unsure of what it is, Nicholas signs up. The Game begins.

Like many other Fincher movies, ‘The Game’ is an intelligent, psychological exploration. As Nicholas struggles through the progressive loss of control he is taken to the brink where he experiences the ultimate loss of control; over life. The screenplay is edgy, with blind turns and spooky moments and you are kept guessing at the next unexpected twist in fortunes. At every step, he tries to outwit the system but the system anticipates his responses. The capability of a firm to actually do this seems a bit farfetched, but that’s not the point. The point is to tell a good story. And a good story is told. The musical score is worth mentioning, with its short piano pieces conveying a foreboding of tragedy.

Michael Douglas has arrogance in his personality and that is a superb fit into this role. Nicholas Van Orten is very much in the Gordon Gecko mode, minus the people skills and the conniving. Nicholas’ exasperation at not being able to keep control over his life is superbly portrayed right through to the chilling climax. Sean Penn does a good job in a cameo as the disturbed Conrad Van Orten.

‘The Game’ is an intelligent thriller.