The Game | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | David Fincher |
Written by | John Brancato Michael Ferris |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Harris Savides |
Edited by | James Haygood |
Music by | Howard Shore |
Production company | |
Distributed by | PolyGram Films[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 128 minutes[2] |
Country | United States[1] |
Language | English |
Budget | $70 million[3] |
Box office | $109.4 million[4] |
The Game is a 1997 American mystery thriller film[5] directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger and James Rebhorn and produced by Propaganda Films and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. It tells the story of a wealthy investment banker who is given a mysterious birthday gift by his brother—participation in a game that integrates in strange ways with his everyday life. As the lines between the banker's real life and the game become more uncertain, hints of a larger conspiracy begin to unfold.
The Game was well-received by critics like Roger Ebert and major periodicals like The New York Times, but had middling box-office returns compared to the success of Fincher's previous film Se7en (1995). The film later gained a strong cult following among Fincher's fans with some noting it as one of his most underrated films.[6][7][8][9]
You have to hand it to David Fincher, whose elegant direction made a 10 out of "Seven." He performs a similar transformation on "The Game," a mystery thriller that is -- depending on your perspective -- creatively challenging or just plain wacko.