Prepare to question everything and everyone as we search for major key alerts with 1997 The Game film this week.

Stats

Released: September 1997
Director: David Fincher
Writers: John Brancato, Michael Ferris
Budget: $50,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $109,400,000

Breakdown and Analysis

  • We thought we were working to an amazing crescendo but it just never got there. Oti was initially titillated and found himself trying to put the puzzle pieces together. Getting into the thrill of it all. Then the last quarter happened. Did it? Why destroy everything you set up for that? It made Oti more mad as there was a conscious choice to continue with an unnecessary 15 minutes.
  • KT does not care for big action films, large scale stories. It doesn’t bother her that we stay quite insular to the world that is introduced to us. KT never latched on emotionally to Nicholas. It isn’t a bad thing because we have anti-heroes but he was very unlikeable. Whenever there were motions of heightened intrigue, it didn’t hit KT as much as she assumed it was supposed to.
  • We know going in is that Nicholas is embarking on an adventure but what we come to learn is that literally everything is part of the game, no matter how real it seemed. He felt like he actually killed his brother and was so overcome with emotion that he fell off the building.
  • After the shock of shooting his brother, Nicholas realises everyone was in on it. There were aspects where he was in literal danger. And somehow Nicholas laughs it off like it is normal.
  • There was so much emotional trauma to be giggle gaggling over the most expensive champagne. It made no sense and cheapened the experience.
  • Conrad injected a lot of deeply personal trauma into the puzzle for Nicholas that it brings forth a dialogue of when has it gone too far?
  • If this was all a game, then what were we working towards? Everything that Nicholas went through was his own life experiences and it was all for nothing? Everything leading up to did not indicate to us that Nicholas would have giggled over the game.
  • More and more, KT is starting to realise that if her Avatar tentacle latched onto a story, she can give grace to some flaws. As long as it isn’t part of the foundation of the story. However, if it starts strong and fails to deliver it is more unforgivable than a story that doesn’t start off with heightened expectations.
  • KT gives praises to the concept of the film, we have our Black Mirrors, Twilight Zone, Inside no 9s but to have a specifically tailored puzzle game that only you can solve that is based on your experiences. An open world escape room.
  • The tone was set very early in the film that Nicholas is far removed from his emotions and presents a coldness. KT defends him in the regard that just because he’s divorced doesn’t mean he is a terrible person.
  • We didn’t get a lot of dimension in regards to Conrad. He seemed like a typical trust fund baby. He behaved like a Succession first pancake.
  • It would have been interesting to have seen their dynamic leading up to the events in the film. Given their vastly different personalities, KT doubts they would be able to achieve a deep brother relationship.
  • Much to his reluctance, Nicholas does take the tests at CRS. KT believes the testing was just a way to legitimise the game as they got all details from Conrad.
  • Oti enjoyed the morsels arriving on the office floor and it appeared as though it didn’t exist anymore.
  • In 1997, it would have been harder to pull off the TV interception. We are far from the world of deep fakes so to have a news anchor call Nicholas out was an interesting scene. This scene kicks off the movie in an exciting way.
  • A lot of the time viewers can draw something from a film and interpret deep meaning. When in reality, it means absolutely nothing.
  • According to Oti, the keys were meant to be reactive not proactive. It wasn’t for him to beat the game. Oti believes the game was not created to be beaten but to get through it.
  • Nicholas cares little for sentiment or friendship and it comes off as cold.
  • Oti had words and opinions about Christine in the way we spoke to Nicholas and her boss. Her attitude became inconsequential but it was a moment we did recall.
  • The hole keeps getting dug for Nicholas and he starts to feel shut in in his options.
  • CRS and Conrad went out of their way to make the game so real it really brought us in. But then you start to question whether fearing for your life was part of the goal. Nicholas being stuck in the taxi as the prime example.
  • It makes no sense that even if Sutherland knew the password, why would Nicholas say it out loud with Christine being able to hear.
  • Comedy and drama are different skill sets. Fincher cites that he regrets making this movie.
  • Everything was a deception. Which is cool but where is our anchorage?
  • Oti reflects that they had a lot of faith in where Nicholas would shoot Conrad and where he would fall off the building.
  • Did we want to stay in the realms of cat and mouse? Did we want to further the emotional trauma of Nicholas? Or is this a normal week night for rich people? It felt very disjointed.
  • We were working towards something and KT is still incredulous that this is what we were working towards.
  • Oti would have enjoyed a game gone bad would have been a much better angle.
  • Oti is fine with mystery and being left in the dark. Being fed every ounce is not an experience that was enjoyable.

Unrelated but vital points

  • KT loses any of her TV/Movie credits by not seeming to warm
  • The next machete franchise starring Oti.
  • Tailored Torture brought to you by Oti Whannell
  • A compelling commando PSA by KT
  • Is KT the first person to say cockamame in 2020?

For Your Reference

Oti

[imdb style=”gray”]tt0114369[/imdb]

KT

[imdb style=”gray”]tt6742252[/imdb]