When this movie came out, David Fincher described it simply as "one giant mind-fuck". Which is definitely accurate, but I think there's more to it than that. Nicolas Van Orten's character arc is really well written and acted, and I get really invested in his redemption, even as the movie is messing with me. This is such an overlooked gem.

Also, to be fair, this big "birthday present" wasn't simply about mind-fucking Nicholas - it was about forcing him to reconnect with his own humanity, and sort out his priorities in life. When we first meet Nicholas, he's cold, controlling, and seemingly alone in the world (almost in a cynical self-imposed exile from family or friends). By stripping Nicholas down, taking away his money/power, forcing him to think on his feet, and forcing him to confront the idea of his father's death (and possibly even his brother's death), CRS basically created a way for Nicholas to get over himself and rediscover what really matters in life.

Penn as Micheals brother was PERFECT casting. Sean looks like a member of the Douglas Family with his cleft chin. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Thanks for reacting to it.

Fincher has famously disowned this film because of the issues with the third act, which his wife warned him was weak and advised he pass on the project, but the fact that he manages to make the ending at all meaningful and moving is a testament to his talent and will.

This movie is a brilliant psychological thriller film from director David Fincher, with a surprising twist ending no one saw coming!

This is basically A Christmas Carol, particularly the beginning and end. Extreme experiences to push him into some emotional acknowledgement about himself and his father. But the mind blowing lengths the company went through to pull this off is insane.

David Fincher is personally my favorite director, and The Game is one of his films I don’t feel gets enough love. Absolutely solid film. Almost feels like a twisted take on A Christmas Carol in some aspects.

This movie definitely dials up the level of suspension of disbelief that’s required but it’s so good. Watching it for the first time is crazy.

This is one of my favorite thrillers of the late 90s. I was blown away by this film in the theater. I recommend it to everyone I can who asks for movie recommendations.

James you are the man for this one, I’ve been telling content creators to react to this film for years and you’re the first one to do it to my knowledge, me and my mom watched this on DVD when it first dropped and my mind was BLOWN! This is a masterpiece. ❤straight 🔥

This wasn't just a normal b-day experience gift, his brother gave him the gift of happiness and living life again. The gift kicked in after the experience.

"What is going on here?!" is the exact perfect reaction to this amazing film! I'm so happy you checked out this film and enjoyed it. This is one that is still enjoyable on rewatch, always pick up something new. Have a wonderful day James

YES! This was my first Fincher film I saw when I was in high school. I fell in love. I love the cinematographer he worked with on this film and it influenced me HEAVILY in my own photography and cinematography. Such a cool story.

The theory is that people's personalities change when something incredibly intense and spectacular happens to them.

This still continues to be my favorite Fincher movie. I love it...

I’ve seen an interview with David Fincher about this film he said that indispersed amongst his bigger films (Se7en, Fight Club) he likes to do ‘Silly Alfred Hitchcock’ popcorn movies purely for entertainment purposes. As with all of DFs films you have to suspend belief for a couple of hours for it to work but I think this is a incredibly crafted masterpiece - Michael Douglas is flawless.

James seems stuck in "What is going on " loop. I remember that feeling watching this. 🤣😄

One of my best film theatre experiences ever. Went in blind, by myself and has an amazing time with this film. So glad you reacted to it. Love this film.

I don’t recall what I was able to solve before the reveal but this film was instantly one of my personal all-time favorites. There are films you forget, and there are a few you never could. This film occupies the latter for me.

An underrated Fincher gem that I feel like no one talks about anymore

Underrated Masterpiece

Absolutely brilliant film. And so underrated and not known about. Thanks for reacting to it.

Fincher is wildly underrated. He is so dynamic and captivating. His shots cinematography really quietly changed the game moving into the 2000's.

This movie is one of only a very few movies that I think are pretty masterful in the way the story unfolds. Thanks for reacting to it!

It was to make him understand his father's suicide. It had haunted him his whole life (as telling by the flashbacks) so the Game was therapy in that through accepting suicide he was able to let go of the death of his father and live his life. The Game had to be that elaborate because how do you get someone who has "everything" to commit suicide willingly?

I cannot state how happy I am to see you check this movie out. This was a movie I put on many sleepless nights in college. My wife on the other hand...I have never heard someone vehemently curse out the ending of a movie the way she did.

My wife watched it for the first time with me recently. She pointed out that all of the challenges Nicholas faced were actually foreshadowed in the flash cards used during his preliminary examination. I have seen the movie numerous times and never noticed that.

Funny that you say "omnipotent" because one of the theories that I've heard is that this movie is really about the idea of life itself being a trial in a grand game. Not that Nicolas actually died (or maybe) but rather fleshing out the concept of an omnipotent manipulator and an afterlife. A nice detail is the poster for the banquet at the end, it says that the party will take place somewhere between two very specific times. It invites you to ponder the ludicrousness of the twist instead of trying to shield itself from it, the concept that whatever predictive software the company has is so precise that they actually pinpointed his attempted suicide down to a matter of minutes is ridiculous enough to push people into higher thinking. The idea that something or someone is up there with all the resources and all the controls, putting you through specially tailored challenges and breaking you down so you live life and gain empathy until you die and find that your loved ones who you thought were dead are sitting at a party waiting for you to get there, to me at least, is a bit beautiful. I can't take credit for the theory, but after I heard it I viewed the ending as much less insidious and more emotional, much like what the idea of an afterlife does to a persons view on life

its treating him a lesson in not being selfish,self centred and being more generous with his time,great film,you can watch this every few years and it will still feel fresh.

I'm usually good at predicting twists, but this movie got me. I'm glad someone finally reacted to it. Hidden gem lost in time.

Dude ive been trying to rediscover this movie for like 15 years! I never did proper research to find it is probably why, but cool as shit it crossed my path again haha

It's crazy how underrated this movie is.

Let's be real here: Sheltered uber-rich people would totally refer a company specializing in making them a protagonist in their own action thriller flick to each other, no question.

"Is this for real?" You've summed up this movie so well in just four words!

Greatest thriller movie for me, so glad you finally saw this other masterpiece. 🙂💙

Andy Kevin Walker - the writer of Seven - was brought in to do an uncredited rewrite of this, which would become the shooting script. Same with Fight Club. I guess you could call this their second collaboration. Extraordinary mind-f*ck of a film. So happy that Walker and Fincher are finally back together for 'The Killer'.

Out of all the twist ending films that came out around then, like Usual Suspects and Sixth Sense and all of those, this one takes the cake in my mind because it has about five twists. I wish I could, as they say in the movie do it all over again for the first time, because re-watching it you obviously get a lot out of it each time re understanding just how they did all this, but the first time really is a mine f*** of the highest order. Super glad you did this one, your commentaries are always informative and fascinating about what you get out of these films, and this one is such a weird one and so unique that is exciting to hear what you got out of it

Jackie Brown and now this? Man, you are on a streak of underrated gems!

15:30 cracked me up! Just the image of James being one of those guys in Central Park who start swinging any time someone comes near them 🤣

Happy Birthday??? Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Have a great day!

This movie is the definition of underrated

This movie is both incredibly dark and incredibly inspirational at the same time lol

One of my all time favorite movies, and you’re one of the first I’ve seen here reacting to it. Really enjoyed your commentary. SUBBED!

The ending blew my mind, it reminded me of the ending of Sixth Sense and Arlington Road. And it is what it is, no one cheated him, no one stole him, everything was set up to get to that end, and the brother gives him all this experience, to get him out of the dark and gray life he had, giving him a strong emotional experience and helping him to change and value life more, it is not that he wanted to harm him, because everything ends well for him in the end and you even see him more friendly and sympathetic.

"My soul just came out of my ass," is now 100% in my grab bag of phrases.

One of my favorite little filmmaking details in this movie: when the TV anchor starts talking to Nicholas, he starts subtly "morphing" from one position to another, as if the image on the TV is being computer-generated in some way. The morphing is never too flashy or obvious, but it adds to the creepy underlying sense that we're looking at something uncanny or unnatural.

Like Fight Club and The Usual Suspects this is one of those movies that you can't watch the same way twice.

James.... I'm writing this before I saw your reaction. It doesn't matter whether I like it or not,.....just the fact that you react to this film...YES....and now..back to the video😉

Someone on another KZfaq channel pointed out that "The Game" was a retelling of "A Christmas Carol", with Nicholas Van Orton as Scrooge. Here is how I responded to that: "Yes! Just like "A Christmas Carol", with the timeline and some of the characters put in a blender. We start out “home movie style” with a memory of Nicholas as a child at his birthday party (ghost of Christmas past), then proceed immediately to the present day where he meets brother Conrad for lunch (meeting nephew Fred Holloway who invites his uncle Scrooge to Christmas dinner), then a firing of Anson Baer (threatening to fire Bob Cratchit). The TV news anchorman explaining the rules of the Game (Jacob Marley). To me, Deborah Kara Unger, as Christine--or CHRISTine) could be seen as the ghost of Christmas present, Nicholas' guide through the Game, without letting him know she was in on the Game. The ghost of Christmas future (or ghost of Christmas yet-to-come) had its biggest moment with Scrooge seeing his own tombstone in the cemetery, and Nicholas woke up (after being drugged) in a graveyard in Mexico (start of the 3rd act in the film), with him falling from the skyscraper near the end (Scrooge falling into his own grave site--even though that was in Disney's animated "A Christmas Carol" and not in other versions I've seen) and landing on the airbag marked with an “X” (“X” marks the spot) a changed man (like Scrooge landing on his bed at home, waking up to Christmas morning and buying the Christmas meal for Cratchit's family and accepting his nephew Fred's invitation to Christmas dinner-Nicholas attending his birthday party with Anson Baer and his brother Conrad in attendance). By the end of the film, Michael Douglas' character has transformed from Scrooge to St. Nick!"

Literally THE ONLY movie I wish I could watch for the first time again. Such an incredible journey. 🤘🏻

This movie is a masterpiece, one of my favorite Fincher movies. Perfection!

FROM THE UK- I felt EXACTLY the same as you when I first saw it on VHS back in the 90’s it’s such a complete film it gets you thinking, has an amazing sound track, and so much more ❤❤❤

I LOVED your reaction, and was excited when I saw this. I remember when it first came out and it's such an INSANE roller coaster gem of a movie that far too few people know about. So, SO good!

I love the whole reason behind The Game. Nikki was a man who had everything yet was dead inside had forgotten how to live. What better way to make someone learn this who has everything in life you take it all away from him. Brilliant movie.

This movie was and is one of the best movies ever!

It’s a good one, isn’t it? Not sure why but I always tear up a bit at the end, when he jumps / after he lands. I dig it. Thanks for the reaction!

I watched this with my dad when I was 7 and it blew my tiny mind lol Really glad more people are finding it.

one of my favourite movies... very glad to see your reaction was like mine when i first watched this movie

So glad to see you cover this movie. It was an amazing show but no one ever seems to cover it. Love the channel!

My guess is the transformation of a cold mechanical ruthless business workaholic. Broken down and meant to face his fears insecurities and sense of shielded untouchable-ness into a grounded human being with new eyes to actually see the people he engages with on a day to day bases. Having literally killed off his old self. The gift of having his humanity back.

The casting for Michael Douglas's dad was on the money.

What a movie. What a random surprise that you're watching this

I celebrated when I saw this video pop up. Such a brilliant film and one I always come back to each year.

For a moment I was thinking.... "woah, are we watching Succession?". Never realised the intro was inspired from this movie's beginning.

This has been one of my favorite movies for decades, in spite of its flaws. I was completely fooled when Nick woke up in Mexico, penniless. I think the gift that Nick's brother is giving him is an understanding of what may have motivated his father; that his father's suicide was not about Nick at all. The scope of the writing is awesome, however fragile the plot. Like you, though, James, I'm left wondering at the idle entertainments of the very rich. Great reaction and analysis!

This movie might be in my top 10. I was expecting average and I got a 4 star edge of your seat thriller with one of the best endings I've ever seen.

This is my favorite movie that I never think about. Like only when someone talks about it or I see a reaction video, then I’m like “oh hell yeah that is a great movie” but it’s never in my off-the-cuff top five

One of the wildest rides ever! Fantastic choice!

Great review as always. I look forward to your videos to help me decide what to watch for a second time.

You're supposed to question everything, during the movie. So essentially, they had you, where they wanted you.

How could I forget this masterpiece existed?!? 🤯🤯🤯 what a brilliant movie

Watching this for the first time is a blast. Trying to figure stuff out, who’s being real and who’s not, what’s going to happen next. It’s great.

This film along with "Primal Fear" and "Ravenous" are films that hit different when I saw them as a kid in the 90's and are memorable decades later.

One of my fav movies of all time

A Sean Penn film absolutely not to miss is "At Close Range".... a disturbing film based on real events. Even from that young age he was an incredible actor.

James, I am so happy that you reacted to this movie!! This is one of me and my best friends favorite movies. I love a lot of the new school psychological thrillers, but our old school ones weren't to shabby huh? The main thing I loved about this reaction was how many times you said what is going on😂😂 When we first watched it we did the same and for years after when ever we would see to many white vans in one place we would vacate immediately! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

No lie, but who here thought that the clown doll would lead to a jump scare? Also, FUN FACT: The man who plays Nicolas's father is Charles Martinet, who's known for voicing Mario in the Super Mario Bros video games.

this is one of my favorite movies. the buildup and second act are absolutely perfect.. the third act is the only weak part but even though the ending was weak plot-wise it was done SO well! I go back and watch the ending again sometimes just because of how charming it is. like the whole reveal and party is absolutely ridiculous but look what fincher did with it! so much grace in his hand with every moment of this movie

Tells the Game "quit playin games." Love it!

Ive always loved how this movie put itself into a popular theme along that time. Movies like 'Matrix', 'Truman Show', 'Cube' or 'Conspiracy Theory' all presents their main characters as involuntary participants within certain systems, screenplay or conspiracy and force them fight against it. Its subtle sometimes but ive noticed that many movies around end of the 90's and beginnig of 2000's touched similiar topics.

The ONLY thing that sucks about this movie is that I will NEVER EVER be able to watch it for the first time again! It kills me!

Wow, saw this when it premiered. Can't believe it's over 25 years ago. Loved it!

So glad you watched this one of my favorite fincher films that goes under a lot of people’s radar 🙌🏽❤️ also loving the reactions to Barry, so sad the show is over but glad I can rewatch through your reactions.

Haven't watched the reaction yet but this is one of my favorite movies. Super excited you are reviewing this!

Another Fincher film I recommend if you haven't seen it is Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. There is also a Swedish miniseries version which is good as well, but if you're going for the Fincher aesthetic, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is fantastic. Fair warning, there a couple of very graphic scenes

Jodie Foster was originally cast as the younger sibling (although it was first written as his daughter) - but she pulled out due to differences with Fincher and scheduling conflicts with the film Contact. The part was then rewritten and Penn accepted after the role was offered to Jeff Bridges, who declined.

yesss! i was waiting for you to react to this one

Woah first Jackie brown and now The Game ?! Two bangers!

Sooo good. Went to the theater with my dad and was a bit overwhelmed how good it was.

You know a movie is good when it tells you in the title that it's just a game, but it still tricks you, and you refuse to fully believe it.

That is one of the greatest movies ever created, period. It's somewhat forgotten, even to those that really enjoy the movie, but it's definitely up there. They just don't make movies like this any more, sadly. PS: Stop saying that everything is "insane" and "crazy", there are other words like thrilling, engaging, fantastic, great, nice, awesome, exciting and so on.

Just a few seconds in and I’m sooo excited for you to watch it for the first time ( I know it’s already happened lol) but I love this movie so much , saw it at 9 years old and my mind was blown .

So glad u watched!! Been one of my favorites for years!!

This was probably one of your funniest reactions so far

Hilariously I rented this video and watched it at home and right before he was about to jump off the building I had to go to work and the rental was overdue so I returned it thinking I knew what was going on and it was years before I realized the actual ending of the movie🤣🤣

YES!!!! THANK YOU!!! No one reacts to this and its FANTASTIC!!!💗💗💗💗💪😎💪

Hey james i hope all is well and your doing good proud of you love ya my boy❤

David Fincher at it again.

The film works best if you just assume that the company somehow had an answer to every possible unpredictable response from Nicholas. It's hard to imagine what they would do if a police car drove by and saw a bunch of masked people fire automatic rifles at a building and car, though.

You're so talented at making me feel like I can conquer any challenge in the game!