Tonight on TV: Little loved by many, this thriller is still one of David Fincher’s best

The game : a David Fincher to be rehabilitated

David Fincher he is considered a great director today. It is difficult to find great failures in his filmography. And his films are often cited as references. With either Seven (1995), Fight club (1999) or Gone girl (2014), the director left his mark. These three films are probably the ones that will come back to the public’s mind the most. But we must not neglect it The game (1997)that some will probably have forgotten, and which one divided viewersbecause it’s about anywayan excellent paranoid thriller who deserves to be rehabilitated.

At the time of its release, the film was not a financial failure and some critics raved about it Positive who gave it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote: “With humour, the scenario multiplies red herrings, managing to place its too-serious protagonist in the most absurd situations“. However, as the critic and screenwriter Laurent Vachaud noted in an article about Variety ON The gamethe film remains”less appreciated than (other David Fincher films) for the extremely disappointing side of the ending. The public felt they didn’t care.“.

But before we get to the end, let’s remember this The game follows Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas), a wealthy businessman, who is about to celebrate his forty-eighth birthday. A cold and detached man, who no longer seems to find pleasure in life. His little brother, Conrad Van Orton (Sean Penn), then offers him a business card from CRS, a show organization company, as a gift. As soon as he calls this company, Nicholas will start a game. Intrigued by these mysteries, Nicola accepts and sees his life turned upside down.

The explanation of the ending of the film

With The gameDavid Fincher plays a mind game, constantly leaving the viewer and his hero in doubt what is a game or not. Because after undergoing a series of tests for CRS, Nicholas discovers that he has failed. Which causes him to become angry and frustrated. Except that while he thinks he’s going back to his normal life, in reality he will still be in the game. The film thus underlines the paranoia that arises from such a situation, where he finds himself impossible to distinguish the true from the false. And to heighten the tension, David Fincher confronts his character with betrayal, financial loss and violence. However, the final reveal makes us understand that this was all part of a careful plan dreamed up by CRS.

In the last act, Nicholas believes the company manipulated him into stealing. However, he manages to find a lead and goes to a building where the employees are located. Once on the roof and after the hostages have been taken, Nicholas, in a panic, shoots his brother who breaks in. Thinking he has killed him, he decides to commit suicide by jumping from the building, but lands on a giant pillow. That’s when everyone involved joins him and congratulates him. Even his brother Conrad who isn’t actually dead.

Between catharsis and relationship with entertainment

So all this was orchestrated by the CRS to push Nicholas to catharsis and become a better man, as Laurent Vachaud always explained.

What the film is about is the rescue of a man, his return to life. If the end credits highlighted the hero’s original trauma, i.e. the suicide of his father, throwing himself from the roof of the house, the ending responds by showing the hero himself who in turn experiences the drama, but in what will turn out to be a simulation destined to bring him out of his torpor.

In fact, we learn from the beginning of The game that Nicholas’s father died at the age of 48. As a child, Nicholas suddenly found himself with heavy responsibilities, lost control over his life, and had to retreat to protect himself. Hence his coldness and haughty character. The game it is therefore a film about trauma, but also in the world of entertainment. David Fincher creates a mise en abyme with CRS that has everything you need to see in a film or television set, with actors, sets and a script to follow. Finally, we can see an interrogation on our relationship with control and to free will in society, since everything Nicholas did and suffered was ultimately planned.

Source: Cine Serie

Ray

Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.