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The Game (1997)

R  |   |  Drama, Mystery, Thriller  |  12 September 1997 (USA)
7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 239,911 users   Metascore: 61/100
Reviews: 493 user | 152 critic | 19 from Metacritic.com

Wealthy San Francisco financier Nicholas Van Orton gets a strange birthday present from wayward brother Conrad: a live-action game that consumes his life.

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Writers:

(as John Brancato) ,
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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...
...
...
Peter Donat ...
...
...
...
Charles Martinet ...
Scott Hunter McGuire ...
Young Nicholas
Florentine Mocanu ...
Nicholas' Mother
...
Maria
...
Maggie
Daniel Schorr ...
Daniel Schorr
...
Power Executive
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Storyline

Nicholas Van Orton 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, 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 all kinds of weird and bad things start to happen to him. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

What do you get for the man who has everything? See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, and for some violence and sexuality | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

12 September 1997 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Igra  »

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$14,337,029 (USA) (12 September 1997)

Gross:

DEM 12,612,526 (Germany) (16 January 1998)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Reunites Peter Donat and Michael Douglas after their appearances in The China Syndrome (1979) and The War of the Roses (1989). See more »

Goofs

Nicholas confronts one of CRS's employees at the Zoo trying to find out who is in charge. The employee tells him "This is extremely dangerous." Nicholas replies, "No you don't understand *I'm* extremely dangerous." at which point you can clearly hear his gun being cocked. He then puts the gun to the employee's neck but the gun is not cocked. See more »

Quotes

[In a fancy restaurant]
Conrad: I've been here before.
Nicholas: I took you here for your birthday.
Conrad: No, I used to buy crystal meth from the Maitre D.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The opening credits shatter in the form of jigsaw puzzle pieces in Reference to the Film's title. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008) See more »

Soundtracks

Room 277
Written by Howard Shore
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

A Great Movie, But Wholly Implausible
2 November 1999 | by (Boxborough, MA, USA) – See all my reviews

I love David Fincher, he is definitely one of the greatest directors of all time. "Alien 3" was a dark and brooding visual take on the series, and I personally think it was an excellent installment. "Seven" is the best dark thriller/serial killer movie ever made. "Fight Club" is a hilarious and bloody roller coaster ride, my personal favorite of Fincher's movies. And, of course, let's not forget "The Game". I had heard really negative things about this movie, so I skipped out on the theater experience (I kick myself to this day). I waited until it came to Showtime, but even then I loved it. It's an excellent mystery/thriller that never really lets up once it starts going. The acting is excellent all around and the script's got some pretty good dialogue and characters. The main quirk I have with this movie is its believability factor. On your first viewing, you won't notice it too much, but you begin to notice it more and more with each subsequent viewing. There's things that just don't make sense, things that CRS couldn't possibly have controlled. It's not just good enough to suspend disbelief with this movie, you have to sever it completely. Once you do that, you should enjoy this movie as I have and continue to do.


58 of 88 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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this movie is possibly the best example of why IMDB is a gift + a curse redbeardnopirate
MASSIVE plot hole xskingsx
Is it time for a re-make of this excellent movie? jsenright
Too many plot holes euronick61
Why put this in the movie? jdreck
Would you ever forgive your friends and family if they did this to you? ciara99
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