The Game

The Game

Let’s start with a hint of the plot…

Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a wealthy banker in San Francisco, but he is an absolute loner and always spends his birthday alone. On the day of his 48th birthday (the age at which his father committed suicide long ago), his brother Conrad (Sean Penn), who has been away for a long time to recover from some addictions, suddenly returns to Nicholas’s life and gives him a card that grants him access to an unusual entertainment provided by a mysterious company called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Yielding to curiosity, Nicholas visits CRS…
He will soon realize that something is amiss… What is happening to his practically perfect life?

Curiosities

The screenplay for The Game had been circulating in Hollywood since 1991, but it had never found a director and actors interested in making it.
After it was acquired by MGM, the studio decided to pitch it to Fincher, fresh off the success of the thriller Seven.

The director agreed to make the film, but he reworked the story to give it even darker tones. In its realization, the three major sources of inspiration were the films A Christmas Carol, Mission: Impossible, and The Sting.

Fincher’s intention was to create a film that was different from the usual, centered on the loss of control.

The lead role of Nicholas is played by Oscar winner Michael Douglas.

When taking on the role, the actor was initially concerned that it would be difficult to empathize with his character.

However, he changed his mind after the first public screenings, where Nicholas was well received. This was likely also due to the fact that at that time, the actor was going through a complex period marked by his divorce from his first wife.

He therefore brought a lot of himself into the character, managing to make him human and relatable to everyone.

More than anything else, however, Douglas was drawn to the fact that it was practically impossible to predict the film’s ending.

The film also features two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn as brother Conrad. Originally, however, Nicholas was supposed to have a sister, and Jodie Foster was set to play her.

Fincher proposed to change the character to the protagonist’s daughter, but this did not convince Douglas.

Unable to reach an agreement, Foster had to withdraw due to another commitment.

It was then decided to make the character a male brother, assigning the role to Penn. The film also features actress Deborah Kara Unger as the maid Christine. She became famous thanks to the film Crash, and it was after seeing her perform in this that Fincher decided to cast her for the role.

Let’s talk about the film’s ending…

Were you surprised? Satisfied? Let me know in the comments!

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Source: Cinefilos

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