Hans-Inge Langø’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
The Game is a different experience on a rewatch. Once you know the ending, the film reveals itself to be a bit silly. I don’t mean that as a negative, but it is a conspiracy thriller about the hang ups of an emotionally stunted, extremely rich man and how much additional trauma is inflicted on him just to get him to stop being an asshole. It’s a testament to David Fincher’s precise filmmaking that it’s still tense and exciting, even when you know it’s all pretend. Because while this might be phony, it is also very real for Michael Douglas’ Nicholas Van Orton. A big part of the joy of rewatching this is to see how the game keeps needling him in all the right places, from sexual shame to financial anxiety. Speaking of which, this is the perfect role for Michael Douglas, as it leans on and undercuts his masculinity in turn—some of his best roles do this and particularly in the 1990s made him a poster child for American male fragility.
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_49d4ff68-8c69-4aa0-97fd-09a006156a3d" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-49d4ff68-8c69-4aa0-97fd-09a006156a3d'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-49d4ff68-8c69-4aa0-97fd-09a006156a3d'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-49d4ff68-8c69-4aa0-97fd-09a006156a3d'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_675bc799-c801-44e0-bc41-ceb8c16f2b19" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-675bc799-c801-44e0-bc41-ceb8c16f2b19'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-675bc799-c801-44e0-bc41-ceb8c16f2b19'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-675bc799-c801-44e0-bc41-ceb8c16f2b19'));
