The Game (1997 film)

The Game
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Fincher
Written byJohn Brancato
Michael Ferris
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHarris Savides
Edited byJames Haygood
Music byHoward Shore
Production
company
Distributed byPolyGram Films[1]
Release date
  • September 12, 1997 (1997-09-12)
Running time
128 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70 million[3]
Box office$109.4 million[4]

The Game is a 1997 American mystery thriller film[5] 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.[6][7][8][9]

  1. ^ a b c "The Game (1997)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  2. ^ "THE GAME (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 10, 1997. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  3. ^ Patrick Goldstein (September 17, 1997). "The Game' Spins Into David Fincher's Control". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  4. ^ "The Game (1997)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "'The Game': Absurdly Inspired". The Washington Post. You have to hand it to David Fincher, whose elegant direction made a 10 out of "Seven." He performs a similar transformation on "The Game," a mystery thriller that is -- depending on your perspective -- creatively challenging or just plain wacko.
  6. ^ "David Fincher's Twistiest Film, the Game is Still His Most Fun". September 19, 2022. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  7. ^ "Every David Fincher Movie, Ranked". December 29, 2021. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  8. ^ "David Fincher movies: All 11 films ranked from worst to best". August 19, 2022.
  9. ^ "Every David Fincher Movie, Ranked". April 21, 2021.