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The Game

Play trailer 2:26 Poster for The Game R 1997 2h 8m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
77% Tomatometer 66 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a successful banker who keeps mostly to himself. When his estranged brother Conrad (Sean Penn) returns on his birthday with an odd gift -- participation in a personalized, real-life game -- Nicholas reluctantly accepts. Initially harmless, the game grows increasingly personal, and Orton begins to fear for his life as he eludes agents from the mysterious game's organizers. With no one left to trust and his money gone, Orton must find answers for himself.
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The Game

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Critics Consensus

The ending could use a little work but this is otherwise another sterling example of David Fincher's iron grip on atmosphere and storytelling.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher The Times (UK) It looks stunning, with every shadowy scene seemingly dipped in ink and some rapid-fire edits balanced by more experimental touches (super slow-mo squash, anyone?). Rated: 4/5 Jun 7, 2021 Full Review Anton Bitel Little White Lies The more we invest in Nicholas' bank of experiences, the more we display our willing complicity with, even subservience to, a system that lets cocooned elites merely play games (on an urban, even international scale) Jul 27, 2020 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek The rational side of my brain can pick this movie apart until all that's left is incoherent threads. The movie-mad side, happy to lose control, had a hell of a good time. Feb 28, 2018 Full Review Quentin Falk Sunday Mirror (UK) The plot develops into a nerve-tingling thriller of bluff and double bluff set in San Francisco. Rated: 4/5 Dec 18, 2024 Full Review Erick Estrada Cinegarage One of Fincher's best. [Full review in Spanish] Apr 26, 2023 Full Review Dan DiNicola The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY) Douglas works hard, and even if it's at first enticing, the movie is shallow and much ado about nothing. Rated: C Jan 10, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mikael H Can’t really get sucked in when you know it’s a game. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/10/25 Full Review John C a top-tier thriller that doesn't always seem to get the respect and admiration it clearly deserves. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/21/25 Full Review Jelisije J What I love about this film is that I never could guess its ending or what the next scene was going to be. The ending while very good could have been unforgettable if they stuck to their guns and give the audience a more sadder ending that would have fitted the films end goal that I though we were going for. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/30/25 Full Review Troy R Bit of a predictable ending when it finally gets there, otherwise a decent thriller till then. Good acting of course as well as some decent action. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/11/25 Full Review Christian K Perfect director and lead for this script. I do think it stalls out in the middle as the scenes to start to meld together in a repetitive manor, but its loads of fun and well-acted. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/09/25 Full Review Audience Member They can't be serious making a deadly game just for kicks, lol Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/05/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Game

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Cast & Crew

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David Fincher

Director

Michael Douglas

Nicholas Van Orton

Sean Penn

Conrad Van Orton

Deborah Kara Unger

Christine

James Rebhorn

Jim Feingold

Peter Donat

Samuel Sutherland

Movie Clips

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The Game

The Game: Official Clip - Happy Birthday, Nicky The Game: Official Clip - Happy Birthday, Nicky 2:59 The Game: Official Clip - Back from the Dead The Game: Official Clip - Back from the Dead 2:54 The Game: Official Clip - He's Got a Gun The Game: Official Clip - He's Got a Gun 2:24 The Game: Official Clip - Deadly Cab Ride The Game: Official Clip - Deadly Cab Ride 3:00 The Game: Official Clip - You're With Them The Game: Official Clip - You're With Them 2:52 The Game: Official Clip - She's In On It The Game: Official Clip - She's In On It 2:42 The Game: Official Clip - Bad Waitress The Game: Official Clip - Bad Waitress 2:11 The Game: Official Clip - A Profound Life Experience The Game: Official Clip - A Profound Life Experience 2:53 The Game: Official Clip - The Game Begins The Game: Official Clip - The Game Begins 2:56 View more videos

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The Game

The Game: Trailer 1 The Game: Trailer 1 2:26 View more videos
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The Game

The Game (1997) The Game (1997) The Game (1997) The Game (1997) The Game (1997) The Game (1997) The Game (1997) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a successful banker who keeps mostly to himself. When his estranged brother Conrad (Sean Penn) returns on his birthday with an odd gift -- participation in a personalized, real-life game -- Nicholas reluctantly accepts. Initially harmless, the game grows increasingly personal, and Orton begins to fear for his life as he eludes agents from the mysterious game's organizers. With no one left to trust and his money gone, Orton must find answers for himself.
Director
David Fincher
Producer
Steve Golin, Ceán Chaffin
Screenwriter
Michael Ferris, John D. Brancato
Production Co
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 15, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$48.3M
Runtime
2h 8m
Sound Mix
Surround
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