Starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger. Directed by David Fincher.
An extravagantly wealthy banker Nicholas van Orton (Douglas) turns 48 and is haunted by the memory of his father killing himself by jumping off the roof of the family mansion, which Nicholas has inherited. His wife left him a few years back, and while he has everything, he feels the loneliness of being cut off from everyone else. There is little joy, little fun in his life. On his birthday, his free-spirit younger brother Conrad (Penn) returns after an extended absence for a birthday lunch. Conrad has paid CRS, a recreation company which promises to prepare a game tailored to fill what is lacking in the client's life, to create a game for Nicholas for his birthday present. Eventually, Nicholas goes to CRS, and his game begins. But, the game starts to become serious, as his life is threatened and he is not sure what is real, and who he can trust.
The Game is quite good at keeping you guessing how it will all end, and who the good guys are (if there are any). The cast is especially good at confusing their real motives. Douglas plays the role of a detached and cutoff businessman well (shades of Wall Street and The War of the Roses) with his usual cool and commanding manner. Penn has a very small part as his brother, but does a good job in keeping you guessing at his motives and role in the game. But the key role is that played by Unger. As in last year's Crash, Unger expertly conveys a blank facade in which it is impossible to see her inner self. While you want to like her character, as Douglas begins to at first, you are torn by the mounting evidence that she may not be the sweet waitress she appears to be at the beginning of the film, but part of the game against Douglas. The ending is spectacular, and not exactly what you were led (manipulated) into believing. And that is part of the problem. The movie is cleverly plotted and scripted, and well-executed. But there are a lot of unbelievable things that have occurred before, in light of the ending, which I won't hint at. Overall, The Game is quite well made and entertaining.
