The Game

The Game is a 1997 American mystery thriller film 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. Plot Nicholas Van Orton, a wealthy, selfish investment banker in San Francisco, has lunch with his estranged younger brother Conrad, who gifts him an unusual present for his 48th birthday—a voucher for a "game" offered by a company called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Though skeptical, he goes to the CRS office to apply, but the time-consuming psychological and physical examinations required irritate him, and he is later informed that his application has been rejected. Nicholas returns home one evening to find a wooden clown outside, and later discovers a hidden camera inside. He is also contacted by a CRS employee through his distorted television screen who tells him not to try and figure out the object of the game. More bizarre events continue happening; Nicholas initially thinks CRS are simply staging elaborate pranks, but then he starts to believe his business, reputation and safety are endangered. Nicholas is also haunted by his father's suicide, which he witnessed as a child. He meets a waitress, Christine, who becomes involved. Nicholas contacts the police, but they find the CRS office abandoned.