movie review for reindeer games

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• DVD & Streaming

Reindeer Games

• Action/Adventure , Drama

Content Caution

In Theaters

• Ben Affleck as Rudy Duncan; Charlize Theron as Ashley; Gary Sinise as Gabriel; Dennis Farina as James Banks; James Frain as Nick

Home Release Date

• John Frankenheimer

Distributor

• Dimension Films

Positive Elements   |   Spiritual Elements   |   Sexual & Romantic Content   |   Violent Content   |   Crude or Profane Language   |   Drug & Alcohol Content   |   Other Noteworthy Elements   | Conclusion

Movie Review

Rudy Duncan has done his time—six years in prison for grand theft auto. He and buddy Nick (serving two years for manslaughter) are both just days away from parole. While Rudy longs to get home in time to enjoy a traditional Christmas with his family, Nick plans to meet up with Ashley, a beautiful young woman he’s been corresponding with, but hasn’t met. A cafeteria riot lands Nick on the wrong end of a lifer’s knife, inspiring Rudy to assume Nick’s identity and rendezvous with the sexually eager girl he’s heard so much about. Then things get complicated. Having read Nick’s letters to Ashley, a gun-running trucker named Gabriel and his band of hoods ambush the naive Rudy (thinking he’s Nick) for information that will help them pull a casino heist on Christmas eve. Rudy must continue the deception, realizing that the moment he’s no longer of use to the crooks, he’s a dead man. But all is not as it seems and people aren’t necessarily who they pretend to be in this twisting R-rated action movie from screenwriter-of-the-moment Ehren Kruger.

Positive Elements: Not much. And what little does exist can’t begin to compensate for the film’s significant problems. When Ashley falls through thin ice, Rudy risks his own safety to rescue her. Following a fiery climax, Rudy unselfishly drops wads of untraceable, ill-gotten cash in the mailboxes of decent people as he heads home for the family holiday he longed for at the start (implying that, had he simply stuck with the “family plan” instead of chasing cheap sex, he could have saved himself a lot of pain and several close brushes with death).

Spiritual Content: The scurrilous Gabriel suggests that this big casino heist is the Lord’s gift to him, a way of putting the trucker life behind him and allowing him to move on in comfort. Rudy points a gun at a bad guy who, when the weapon turns out to be a water pistol, utters “God is good.” The Lord’s name is abused frequently. At one point, one of Gabriel’s henchmen scolds Rudy for using Christ’s name (“Hey man, watch your mouth, it’s Christmas”), but has no qualms about committing armed robbery on the Lord’s birthday. In fact, it’s disturbing to see Christmas themes, images, songs, etc. sprinkled in amongst the movie’s dark, immoral content. For example, Ashley tells Rudy that when she returns to their motel room, she wants him wearing nothing but a candy cane, which inspires him to start singing “The Little Drummer Boy.”

Sexual Content: Two scenes involve explicit nudity. Shortly after Rudy and Ashley meet, they’re tearing each other’s clothes off and clumsily engaging in sex. Later, she teasingly removes a bikini top for the leering camera—totally gratuitous. By comparison, a glimpse of Ashley in extremely short shorts seems hardly worth mentioning, but viewers see that too. The script also features crude sexual dialogue. Behind bars, Nick and Rudy objectify women, calling them “merchandise” and boasting about casual encounters. Referring to his prison experience, Rudy makes a snide comment about sodomy. A greedy woman prostitutes herself with a complete lack of self-respect or moral conscience.

Violent Content: Pretty constant and often intense. The film opens with shots of murdered Santas lying bloodied, charred or both. Characters are punched, stabbed, beaten with baseball bats, set on fire, run over with automobiles and sent sailing over snow-covered cliffs. Gabriel throws darts around Rudy’s head before burying one in his chest and then embedding another in his shoulder. People are blown away with pistols, shotguns and automatic weapons, occasionally at close range. Inmates riot in the cafeteria when they notice roaches in the Jell-O. To create a diversion in the casino, Rudy wrestles an innocent old man to the floor. A manslaughter conviction seems to pay off for Nick whose gushy romantic correspondence with Ashley leads Rudy to comment, “If you hadn’t cracked that guy’s head open, you wouldn’t have found true love.”

Crude or Profane Language: Awful. Nearly 50 f-words and 20 s-words are exacerbated by two dozen blasphemies (more than half of them specifically abusing the name of Jesus Christ), crass sexual slang and other profanities.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Alcohol is served in the casino. The same hood who chastises Rudy for taking the Lord’s name in vain chugs from a bottle of rum. Rudy borrows the bottle and fills his water pistol with alcohol so that he can shoot it into his mouth now and then (which is itself a disturbing image). Nick fantasizes about sharing wine with Ashley.

Other Negative Elements: What’s a casino without gambling? Slots and blackjack are the on-camera games of choice. The main characters are driven by lust, greed and selfish ambition. Without flinching, they’re willing to lie, steal and kill to get what they want. In fact, the film’s working title was, appropriately, Deception.

Summary: Reindeer Games exists for its twists and turns, a bevy of unexpected revelations that unfold throughout, but do so with a vengeance in the movie’s final ten minutes. At the risk of having my press privileges revoked, I dare not say who does what to whom. Not that it matters. The more I reflect on the plot, the less individual moments and relationships make sense. Kruger gets tangled in his own expanding web of intrigue and betrayal. The characters motivations end up serving the demands of the contrived script rather than rational human behavior. Still, the action is what will attract audiences hungry for an adrenaline rush. And on that level, the film delivers, using extremely violent means to keep viewers glued to the screen. Sex and language compound the problem. I’ve also lost a lot of respect for Charlize Theron (Mighty Joe Young) and Gary Sinise (Of Mice and Men, Apollo 13, Forrest Gump) after seeing this unflattering résumé item. Both are gifted performers who’ve cheapened themselves by appearing in such a sleazy, meanspirited waste of time. Don’t let teens join in any Reindeer Games .

Positive Elements

Spiritual elements, sexual & romantic content, violent content, crude or profane language, drug & alcohol content, other noteworthy elements.

Bob Smithouser

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Reindeer Games

Only Rudolph with his nose so bright could hope to spotlight every last inanity in "Reindeer Games," a breathlessly paced potboiler that's a "thriller" in name only. With a far-fetched script that might barely have passed muster at the B units in the old studio days, this Dimension release will command a certain up-front attention due to cast topliners Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise and Charlize Theron and vet director John Frankenheimer in his follow-up to "Ronin."

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

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Only Rudolph with his nose so bright could hope to spotlight every last inanity in “Reindeer Games,” a breathlessly paced potboiler that’s a “thriller” in name only. With a far-fetched script that might barely have passed muster at the B units in the old studio days, this Dimension release will command a certain up-front attention due to cast topliners Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise and Charlize Theron and vet director John Frankenheimer in his follow-up to “Ronin.” But pic will have to pull off a quick B.O. heist, as the alarms signaling a botched job will go off immediately.

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One can almost envision the picture as it might have been done as a low-budget film noir a half-century ago: Dennis O’Keefe, Sterling Hayden or, if we were lucky, Robert Mitchum getting out of prison and impersonating his recently deceased cellmate in order to take up with the girl (Lizabeth Scott, Peggy Cummins or, if he were lucky, Jane Greer) with whom the latter had fallen in love via correspondence.

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Little does he know, of course, that she’s not the sweet, romantic creature of her letters, and that this liaison will ensnare him in a lethal plot to knock over a casino on Christmas Eve.

The one nod Frankenheimer makes in the direction of the terse, hard-boiled, gritty noir style in which such a yarn virtually demands to be made is to shoot it in such a high-contrast, color-desaturated manner that it comes close to looking like a black-and-white film.

It also barrels along at a fast clip, but rather in the manner of a train ignoring all semaphores and warning lights on its way to a calamitous arrival at its destination.

Looking far more like a college frat boy than a hardened con finishing out a five-year stretch for grand theft auto, Affleck shuffles in as the affable Rudy, whose roomie Nick (James Frain) has plastered the walls with pictures of the luminous Ashley (Theron), who has promised to be waiting for him when he gets out in two days.

But Nick doesn’t survive that long, so when Rudy, upon his release, spots a lovely gal shivering in the Northern Michigan snow waiting for a man he knows won’t be coming out, he approaches her and introduces himself as … Nick.

After the briefest of preliminaries, the sex-starved souls jump each other’s bones in a nearby motel. But just as Rudy throws out his driver’s license with the intention of playing out the Nick hand as long as he can, in bursts a bunch of thugs led by Gabriel (Sinise in full Charles Manson regalia), who says he’s Ashley’s brother and, in between persuasive threats and thwacks, demands his help in robbing the nearby Indian casino of millions.

The real Nick, it turns out, used to work in security at the casino and thus could have provided invaluable assistance. Rudy, quickly realizing that he’ll be dead meat if Gabriel believes his initial protests that he’s not really Nick, is forced to improvise and come up with at least faintly plausible answers to Gabriel’s many questions, all the while looking for a way out of his jam.

Tale’s mid-section generates some engagement and even momentary tension, as Rudy twice manages to escape, only to be thwarted and tortured (once by darts tossed by Gabriel), and the true relationships and intentions of the characters are weighed and at least partially revealed.

Rudy remains extremely pissed at Ashley’s treachery (“I had better sex in prison,” he insults her in one of scripter Ehren Kruger’s few potent lines), but still retains the slight hope that, in a final reckoning, she might side with him against her evil brother.

This is one of those movies in which an otherwise ruthless villain repeatedly spares the life of the hero for no reason other than that the picture would have to end if he whacked him. Time and again, the crazed Gabriel is on the verge of finishing Rudy off, only to reconsider in uncertainty over his actual identity.

Once his cover is blown after a reconnaissance visit to the casino, Gabriel keeps swallowing Rudy’s b.s. about how Nick told him crucial info about casino operations.

It’s Gabriel’s notion that the gang will raid the nearly empty casino wearing Santa Claus suits. But in the ensuing mayhem, the Christmas booty doesn’t get distributed very fairly, and the final reel has more twists, dissension and betrayals than “The Asphalt Jungle,” “The Killing” and “Odds Against Tomorrow” combined, or at least seems to, given how they’re piled one on top of another, to ludicrous effect, within minutes of each other. (Dimension’s presskit begs critics not to reveal “unexpected plot developments so that the audience can enjoy them for the first time,” as if this were “The Crying Game” all over again, but no such luck.)

Too much the everyday good guy to lend weight or sardonic irony to a role that needs something in the way of an attitude, Affleck isn’t the most convincing bluffer in the world in his crucial scenes opposite Sinise; in a contemporary context, one could imagine such a role best played either by a tough customer such as Bruce Willis or a slithery chameleon on the order of Edward Norton.

Sinise, who won an Emmy playing George Wallace for Frankenheimer, is pumped up and mean as a mother, as a lifelong trucker looking for his one big haul, while Theron is plenty foxy but, it would seem, too classy to be hanging around all these lowlifes. Little effort is made to sketch in the other members of Gabriel’s gang other than by differentiated looks.

Shot in British Columbia under forbidding looking conditions that only make one hope that there were plenty of hot drinks and warm blankets on hand, pic has the mostly slapdash, inelegant look and sound of a programmer of yore. For Frankenheimer among his recent features, this is unfortunately closer to “The Island of Dr. Moreau” than to last year’s gritty and solid “Ronin.”

• Production: A Dimension Films release of a Marty Katz production. Produced by Katz, Bob Weinstein, Chris Moore. Executive producers, Harvey Weinstein, Cary Granat, Andrew Rona. Co-producers, B. Casey Grant, Mark Indig. Directed by John Frankenheimer. Screenplay, Ehren Kruger.
• Crew: Camera (Deluxe color, Panavision widescreen), Alan Caso; editors, Tony Gibbs, Michael Kahn; music, Alan Silvestri; production designer, Barbara Dunphy; art directors, Helen Jarvis, Eric Fraser (Prince George); set decorator, Elizabeth Wilcox; costume designer, May Routh; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Larry Sutton; supervising sound editor, Mike Le-Mare; stunt coordinators, Joe Dunne, Jacob Rupp (Canada); associate producer-assistant director, James Sbardellati; second unit directors, Marty Katz (U.S.), David Crone (Canada); casting, Mali Finn. Reviewed at the Sunset 5, L.A., Feb. 18, 2000. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 104 min.
• With: Rudy Duncan - Ben Affleck Gabriel - Gary Sinise Ashley - Charlize Theron Jack Bangs - Dennis Farina Nick - James Frain Pug - Donal Logue Jumpy - Danny Trejo Zook - Isaac Hayes Old Governor - Gordon Tootoosis The Alamo - Dana Stubblefield Merlin - Clarence Williams III

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February 25, 2000 FILM REVIEW `Reindeer Games': Santa Would Surely Be Useful Right Now Related Articles The New York Times on the Web: Current Film Video Trailer and Selected Scenes From the Film 'Reindeer Games' Forum Join a Discussion on Current Film By ELVIS MITCHELL s an actor, Ben Affleck often suggests one of the Kennedys playing Clark Kent: he wants to keep his light under a bushel, but he's not quite up to it. He looks as if he has never missed a party or a night's sleep. Eike Schroter/Dimension Films Ben Affleck in "Reindeer Games." He's game, though, and his slight dislocation works to the advantage of "Reindeer Games," the newest wheel-within-a-wheel script from Ehren Kruger ("Scream 3," "Arlington Road"). As directed by John Frankenheimer, the movie (which has the best title of the year) is a lot of fun until it becomes a Xerox of a blueprint for a hit. Set in the bleak winter wonderland of Michigan in December, "Reindeer Games" has a metallic grimness. Frankenheimer and his cinematographer, Alan Caso, have given the scenario the distorted sheen of snow reflected on the chrome bumper of a Plymouth. A protagonist with the well-fed good looks and dimpled chin of a superhero is just what's called for here, and Affleck, who looks as if he was drawn by the comics artist John Romita, fits the bill. He plays Rudy, serving out the last days of a prison stretch and looking forward to going home and tasting a holiday dinner. "Hot chocolate," he tells his cellmate, Nick (James Frain), ticking off a few of his favorite things, "and pecan pie." Nick's appetites run more toward Ashley (Charlize Theron), the woman he has been corresponding with. But a minor disagreement between Rudy and another convict, who settles arguments with a shiv instead of a well-placed phrase, leads to a fight that ends with Nick's death. After all, poor Nick has sacrificial lamb written all over him. (A nice guy named Nick dying during the holidays is a particularly cruel swipe at the season, as are the gray skies the picture is swathed in.) Whenever a con has too much to live for in B-pictures, one imagines that even the other actors start a pool on how long he'll survive. It's the equivalent of the African-American sidekick in cop movies. After he gets out, Rudy pretends to be Nick so that he can spend time with Ashley. That's when things get nutty. (Rudy can pass because Nick never sent her a photo, so she has no idea what he looks like.) Ashley's brother Gabriel (Gary Sinise) wants to use Nick's criminal expertise to rob a casino on an Indian reservation. But Rudy doesn't have the kind of know-how for the job that Gabriel and his grungy pack of thugs need. Rudy becomes a lowlife Scheherazade, spinning tales to keep himself from the business end of Gabriel's automatic. He's sympathetic because he does the wrong things for the right reasons. With its Michigan locale, small-time criminals with eyes bigger than their heads, smudged loyalties and plot shifts as deep as the snow drifts, "Reindeer Games" plays like a low-key tribute to the tangled verve of Elmore Leonard's crime novels. Like Leonard's work, the film is stocked with hoods who love crime and have a baroque taste for violence. "Reindeer Games" comes closer to Leonard's businesslike toughness than Frankenheimer's adaptation of the author's "52 Pick-Up." Gabriel, with his trailer-trash hair extensions, lives to do damage, as does the hilariously volatile Merlin (the talented Clarence Williams III, a Frankenheimer repertory member who has come a long way from the anguished and helpful Linc of "The Mod Squad"). The seamy kick of one double cross after another keeps "Reindeer Games" in motion. Narratively, the movie is similar to a casino game: you're not sure where you are and the house has the advantage. Kruger's knack for a laugh line under pressure is a very pleasant instinct; the wisecracks compensate for characterization. His dexterity with tension and humor borders on the facile. The holiday setting allows for the sportive use of Christmas songs; in a sex scene, Dean Martin's oiled and lewd slurring of "Let It Snow" plays on the soundtrack. There's no glibness in Frankenheimer's work to balance the script's cheekiness. He's probably better at using cars and trucks in an action picture than any other director and the wide-screen compositions magnify the thoughtfulness behind his choices. Although Rudy is perpetually in a state of bruised confusion, the director's ruthless precision keeps "Reindeer Games" on track. It keeps its footing on the ice. Frankenheimer has an entertaining bent for swift, scary violence with 1960s creaks and reverbs on the soundtracks for an old school reference point; this movie could have been directed by Gabriel. Younger directors who have absorbed his filmmaking approach, like Michael Bay, are all flamboyant gesture. Frankenheimer's masculine professionalism -- his thrillers are hard-boiled and businesslike -- is a form of action-movie savior faire. It's not just his sharpshooter's eye for detail that keeps "Reindeer Games" rolling. The vividness of the expert cast makes the movie feel lived-in. Theron seems naked even when she's bundled in her shiny thermal jacket. Danny Trejo makes a mark as the crew member who keeps up with business trends, although Sinise, with his newly buffed torso, is most impressive. In its brief running time -- the movie is staged like a pit stop -- "Reindeer Games" goes from being fun to being laughable. The last section has everything but Ernst Stavro Blofeld stroking a cat and telling James Bond why he has kept him alive. The needlessly complicated mechanism is a body blow to the breakneck wiliness that has come before. Kruger seems dangerously close to using up all the arrows in his quiver, or bats in his belfry, or whatever metaphor you'd find appropriate. Until it derails itself in its final 10 minutes, "Reindeer Games" is lean and atmospheric, smart enough not to telegraph its freakish glee in its coldhearted take on the holidays: Santa Corpse is coming to town. PRODUCTION NOTES 'REINDEER GAMES' Directed by John Frankenheimer; written by Ehren Kruger; director of photography, Alan Caso; edited by Tony Gibbs and Michael Kahn; music by Alan Silvestri; production designer, Barbara Dunphy; produced by Marty Katz, Bob Weinstein and Chris Moore; released by Dimension Films. Running time: 99 minutes. With: Ben Affleck (Rudy), Gary Sinise (Gabriel), Charlize Theron (Ashley), Dennis Farina (Jack Bangs), James Frain (Nick), Danny Trejo (Jumpy), Donal Logue (Pug) and Clarence Williams III (Merlin). 'Reindeer Games' is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It includes violence, nudity and profanity best suited to thugs.

Reindeer Games

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

Santa Claus lies dead in Michigan, oozing blood in the snow. It’s the grabber first image in a movie that unravels in flashback. Reindeer Games is a pungently nasty thriller that arrives two months late for Christmas but just in time to remind audiences of the resuscitating wonders that director John Frankenheimer, 70, can perform on a tired genre.

Ben Affleck plays Rudy – as in Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, in case you were wondering about the title. But Rudy has no time for games; he’s doing jail time for car theft. His cellmate distracts him with photos of Ashley (Charlize Theron), a knockout who writes long letters and promises hot sex as soon as Rudy’s pal gets out.

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Suspicious? You bet. But these guys are either desperately horny or just willing to go along with recycled movie plots. Anyway, it’s Rudy who gets out – his buddy is stabbled in a prison fight. And it’s Rudy who impersonates Ashley’s pen pal. Why? To get in her pants, stupid. Wrong move. The sex is great, but Rudy didn’t count on Ashley’s brother, Gabriel (Gary Sinise in full psycho mode), a sadist who forces Rudy to suit up as Santa and help him rob a casino on an Indian reservation where the stabbed cellmate once worked. Rudy, of course, knows nothing. You shouldn’t, either; Dimension Films has urged critics not to spoil the film’s surprises.

My guess is you’ll be ahead of the twists in the script, by Ehren Kruger ( Stream 3 ). The fun comes in watching Affleck and a game cast, including Clarence Williams III, Dennis Farina and Donal Logue, play thoroughly despicable characters. Reindeer Games lacks the emotional resonance of Frankenheimer’s classic films ( The Manchurian Candidate , Seven Days in May ) or his recent work on TV ( George Wallace ) and film ( Ronin ). But it bristles with the brute force he brought to 1986’s underrated 52 Pick-Up. Frankenheimer is the siege engine that keeps the Reindeer action flying on all cylinders.

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Reindeer games.

Directed by John Frankenheimer

The trap is set. The game is on.

After assuming his dead cellmate's identity to get with his girlfriend, an ex-con finds himself the reluctant participant in a casino heist.

Ben Affleck Charlize Theron Gary Sinise Dennis Farina Clarence Williams III Danny Trejo Donal Logue James Frain Isaac Hayes Ashton Kutcher Dana Stubblefield Tom Heaton Hrothgar Mathews Mark Acheson Enuka Okuma Michael Sunczyk Douglas Arthurs Dean Wray Ron Sauvé Ron Jeremy Lonny Chapman Robyn Driscoll Alonso Oyarzun Ron Perkins Gordon Tootoosis Lee Jay Bamberry Paula Shaw Don S. Williams Michael Puttonen Show All… Ken Camroux-Taylor Jimmy Herman Govindini Murty Larry Lam James Hutson

Director Director

John Frankenheimer

Producers Producers

Marty Katz Chris Moore James Sbardellati Casey Grant Mark Indig Bob Weinstein

Writer Writer

Ehren Kruger

Casting Casting

Denise Doyle Mali Finn Emily Schweber

Editors Editors

Michael Kahn Antony Gibbs

Cinematography Cinematography

Additional directing add. directing, executive producers exec. producers.

Harvey Weinstein Cary Granat Andrew Rona

Production Design Production Design

Barbara Dunphy

Art Direction Art Direction

Eric Fraser Helen Jarvis

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Barbara Dunphy Elizabeth Wilcox

Special Effects Special Effects

William H. Orr

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Bruce Nicholson Brad Kuehn Crystal Dowd

Stunts Stunts

Brett Armstrong Owen Walstrom Steven McMichael Joe Dunne Rick Pearce

Composer Composer

Alan Silvestri

Sound Sound

Mike Le Mare Randy Thom

Costume Design Costume Design

Makeup makeup.

Crist Ballas Charles Porlier Deborah K. Larsen Benjamin Robin Victoria Down

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Sherry Linder-Gygli Wayne Herndon

Dimension Films Marty Katz Productions

Releases by Date

25 feb 2000, 04 may 2000, 07 jun 2000, 30 jun 2000, 09 nov 2000, 01 dec 2000, 07 dec 2000, 01 jul 2000, 06 oct 2000, releases by country.

• Theatrical 15+
• Theatrical 16
• Theatrical 15
• Digital R18+
• Theatrical R

124 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Steve Sandberg ★★★ 3

Top 5 Reasons To Watch Reindeer Games:

5. One of the dumbest, most convoluted 'twist' endings imaginable.

4. Isaac Hayes' most inexplicable film role. It's baffling.

3. Charlize Theron

2. "I want some fuckin hAAt chAAklAAt... and some pecan fuckin pie."

1. Dennis Farina's inexplicable false teeth.

A truly breathtaking mess of a motion picture.

Review by Dustin Baker ★★★½ 7

Fuck you guys. It's fun.

Review by Josh Lewis ★★★ 3

A Christmas heist thriller that due to a myriad of reasons (intentional and not) is pretty hilarious, confusing, sexy... It's sorta like if every single character in Ronin or Out of Sight had been dropped on their head as babies. I won't lie to you, the script is basically as moronic as everyone says it is so it's very possible this is getting the like solely off the fact that 1) Frankenheimer just can't stop himself from bringing the directorial heat when shitty people start triple-crossing and shredding/blowing each other up, and 2) there's an argument to be made that Charlize in this is the best anyone has ever looked. Also, I believe this is the only time two absolute titans of cinema (Isaac Hayes and Ben Affleck) graced the screen together. Gotta support that.

Review by Christian Di Leo ★★½ 2

Take a shot every time a character says "Pow-wow safe" . JK please don't, you'll die.

Review by matt lynch ★★★

One of the most amusingly cockamamie plans ever attempted by screen villains that, much like the film itself, is completely undermined by Ben Affleck. Frankenheimer thankfully is fully aware that the script is total bullshit and proceeds accordingly.

Discussed on Episode 51 of The Suspense is Killing Us .

Review by Ziglet_mir ★★★★★ 11

A late seasonal  mini-collaboration  with  St. Nick Langdon —on that Frankenheimer Quest! Check out  his review  on this one also.

Naw-uh, fuck that. Nick doesn't do anything until Nick gets something for Nick. I want some hot chocolate. You want to hear about some Indian casino, I want to see some goddamn hot chocolate! And a piece of pecan fucking pie!

I am a sucker for any film that establishes itself in some vein of meta-fantasy and successfully teases out that fantasy with wild filmmaking decisions. One such film is 2019’s  Serenity , where the ante keeps getting higher and higher before the game even gets played. I fully believe that the 2019 film is a somewhat misunderstood piece, one that entangles the film noir genre into an…

Review by Keith ★½ 1

Perhaps an experiment to see how meaningless they could make pointing a gun at someone be. Roughly 40% of the dialogue is delivered with a gun pointed at someone, and usually it's at a whiny Ben Affleck, who annoys his way out of anyone pulling the trigger.

Review by theironcupcake ★★★★ 10

"You want a future, you gotta stand up and steal it."

Twists on twists on TWISTS. John Frankenheimer left us too soon, but at least he went out on top.

I mean, I thought I was just getting an ordinary casino heist movie set during Christmastime... but then I was given Isaac Hayes as a jailbird shouting "THERE ARE MONSTERS IN THE GELATIN," evil truck driver Gary Sinise looking like this and Ben Affleck - playing a character named Rudy, because of course he is - wearing the greatest and most covert spy outfit of all time.

I tell you, there are no words.

Review by 📀 Cammmalot 📀 ★★½ 5

There are monsters in the gelatin!

Sometimes a movie is so outta control you just gotta take your hands off the wheel and enjoy the crash.

Bad Acting Bad Casting Bad Plot Twisting Bad Dialogue-ing

However, if you let go of all sense of reason, and watch it like it’s a cartoon then there’s just enough hi-jinx and lunacy to make it watchable.

The pow-wow safe! I want the pow-wow safe!

Cinematic Time Capsule - 2000 Ranked

Review by Robert Franco

insanely stupid movie but the third act goes very hard

Review by Lebowskidoo 🇨🇦 🎬 🍿 ★★★★ 2

" I want to see some goddamn hot chocolate! And a piece of pecan fucking pie!"

An action-heist Christmas thriller from director John Frankenheimer. It makes for fun Christmas viewing with it's snowy setting, smirky dialogue and interesting set pieces, not to mention a cameo from Ashton Kutcher.

Ben Affleck is maybe a bit too baby-faced at this point to convincingly play a recently released convicted car thief but he's not bad. Gary Sinise plays the bad guy like an evil Lieutenant Dan from Hell, which is a joy to witness. Charlize Theron in full-on-skank-floozy-mode is delightful, she always is no matter what movie she's in. Danny Trejo is one of the scumbags too, gotta love any movie smart enough…

Review by Jesse Snoddon 6

"I wanna see some goddamn hot chocolate...and some pecan pie!!"

When his cellmate Nick (James Frain) gets shivved, Rudy (Ben Affleck) assumes his identity and meets up with Ashley (Charlize Theron) upon his release. It's a dick move, and the wheel of karma swiftly delivers him a kick to the proverbial balls when Gabriel (Gary Sinise) and his crew show up and force the man they think is Nick to reluctantly participate in the reindeer game of a dangerous casino heist (yes, this is the kind of dumb we're dealing with here). 

I almost always hate the structural framing choice of bookending a film with flashbacks, and it mostly sucks here too except it involves a bunch of dead Santa…

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Reindeer Games (United States, 2000)

With the possible exception of the talent involved, everything about Reindeer Games smacks of a B movie, the kind of film that, with a lesser cast, would have been shipped directly to Cinemax or Showtime. Reindeer Games suffers from a poorly written screenplay that, coupled with static and uninspired direction, lends the production a cheap and cheesy feel. And the big "twist" at the end, which will undoubtedly become one of the film's prime selling hooks, comes from so far afield that it's impossible to logically predict. (However, if you take the tactic of guessing what the least likely and most contrived occurrence will be, you have a fair chance of figuring out this secret.)

Anyone mentioning the name Hitchcock in association with Reindeer Games should be flogged for blasphemy. Contrary to popular opinion, not all of Hitchcock's movies were great examples of cinema, but, even in his less successful efforts, the Master of Suspense always managed to persuade the audience to engage their suspension of disbelief. That's a crucial element to the success of any thriller, but Reindeer Games is saddled with such a blatantly preposterous plot that it defies attempts by the sincere movie-goer to become immersed in the story.

The director is John Frankenheimer, a filmmaker with what could charitably be called an uneven reputation. Frankenheimer, who did a lot of work for TV during the '90s, began his motion picture career in the '60s, helming such classics as The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May , and The Iceman Cometh . But he is also responsible for drek like The Holocroft Covenant and the 1996 remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau . In 1998, Frankenheimer appeared to be making a rebound with Ronin , a tight, taut thriller about double-crossing mercenaries. Unfortunately, Reindeer Games has knocked him right back down again.

Reindeer Games opens in Michigan's Iron Mountain Prision, a maximum security institution where cellmates Rudy (Ben Affleck) and Nick (James Frain) are days away from their release. Each has different goals for his upcoming freedom. It's almost Christmas, and Rudy wants to go home for a mug of hot chocolate and a piece of pecan pie. Nick, on the other hand, is looking forward to a hot holiday spent in a motel room with a beautiful girl named Ashley (Charlize Theron). The two met as part of a convict pen-pal program, and, a hundred letters later, they're ready to consummate their relationship. But Nick never gets the chance to walk through the prison gates; he is killed in a cafeteria skirmish.

On the day of his release, Rudy sees Ashley waiting for Nick, looking exactly like she did in the pictures she sent him. Knowing that she is oblivious to her correspondent's appearance, Rudy does the kind of thing that only a movie character would do, and passes himself off as Nick. This turns out to be a mistake, because Ashley has a psychopathic brother named Gabriel (Gary Sinise), who has decided that the ex-con is going to help him pull a casino robbery - or else. However, since the success of the crime depends largely on Nick's knowledge of the establishment from his days as a security guard there, and since Rudy has never set foot in the place, there are some significant problems to overcome.

Whatever flaws it may have, at least Reindeer Games can boast solid performances from Charlize Theron and Gary Sinise. Theron, who has shown herself to be a talented actress in movies like The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules , manages somehow to be convincing throughout this sloppy production, despite some of the ripe lines of dialogue she is forced to utter. Sinise, a performer with great range and ability, is in danger of becoming typecast as a villain. He's as scary as anyone else playing this kind of role, yet he never chews on the scenery with the unrestrained gusto of a Dennis Hopper or a Christopher Walken. Meanwhile, Ben Affleck does not deliver one of his better performances. None of the charisma or energy evident in Affleck's Boiler Room work is on display here.

The real problem is the storyline these actors find themselves trapped in. Written by Scream 3 scribe Ehren Kruger, Reindeer Games is an inept blend of routine action sequences, howlingly bad dialogue, and standard thriller plot elements. Contrivances abound - not since TV's MacGyver has anyone been as handy as Rudy with a dart, a knife, and a squirt gun. With the exception of the big twist, everything in this film is disappointingly predictable. And, in the end, Kruger is forced to rely on one of the most tired plot twists of them all - the bad guy who holds the good guy at gunpoint while explaining the entire vile plan to him.

In spite of the film's inherent badness, or perhaps because of it, it is possible to derive a certain level of masochistic pleasure from watching Reindeer Games . The film shows little or no inventiveness. Visually, it's uninteresting, with an over-reliance upon close-ups and static shots, and there's a special effects scene that is shockingly unconvincing. But, for those who go into this film with expectations of a B movie (something encouraged by the recognition that Miramax is releasing the picture under their Dimension imprint), disappointment will be curtailed. There's a little gratuitous nudity and quite a bit of violence - enough that Reindeer Games probably won't look half-bad when it finally makes it to cable TV, where it belongs in the first place.

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Ben affleck.

Rudy Duncan

Charlize Theron

Ashley Mercer

Gary Sinise

Gabriel Mercer

Dennis Farina

Clarence williams iii, danny trejo, donal logue, james frain.

Nick Cassidy

Isaac Hayes

Ashton kutcher.

College Kid

Dana Stubblefield

Ugly Staffer

Hrothgar Mathews

Mark acheson, related titles.

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

BABY REINDEER

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Reindeer Games

• After assuming his dead cell-mate's identity to get with the other man's girlfriend, an ex-convict finds himself a reluctant participant in a casino heist.
• After being imprisoned for six years on a grand theft auto charge, Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck) is days away from release as is his cellmate Nick (James Frain) who is is serving a two year sentence on a separate charge. Nick has a number of pictures from a romantic correspondence with a woman named Ashley he has never met but is waiting for his release. Rudy is looking forward to returning to his family and having a fresh cup of hot chocolate. Nick is killed defending Rudy during a prison riot. When Rudy Is released the next day from prison he recognizes Ashley waiting outside the prison for Nick and Rudy takes his place and pretends to be Nick. Nick had spoken of his previous employment in security with an Indian casino and Rudy finds himself involved with Ashley's criminal gun runner brother Gabriel (Gary Sinise). Rudy is violently coerced to cooperate with a Christmas Eve casino robbery scheme that Gabriel and his gang have been planning with Nick's casino knowledge as the key. Things don't go as planned with a number of plot twists and double crosses. — Brian Orndorf
• With two days away from his release, all the professional car thief, Rudy Duncan, wants is to get his life back on track, reunite with his family for Christmas, and above all, start afresh with his new girlfriend, Ashley--the compassionate soulmate he had fallen in love in prison via correspondence. However, having read their fervent letters, Ashley's volatile arms-trafficking brother, Gabriel, and his ruthless gang of trigger-happy criminals jump on the opportunity to get vital inside information from Rudy, for a daring casino heist on Christmas Eve. Under those circumstances, to stay alive and have a chance with Ashley, Rudy must play along and continue his con game; nevertheless, is all as it seems? — Nick Riganas
• In Michigan, the car thief Rudy Duncan and his cellmate Nick Cassidy, who killed a man protecting his girlfriend Millie Bobeck, are to be released in a couple of days. Nick is in love with his pen-pall Ashley Mercer that he never personally met and has known her through a magazine, letters, and photos. He expects to spend the next days locked in a motel room making love with Ashley while Rudy expects to return home and drink hot chocolate with his family celebrating Christmas. During a riot in the mess room, Nick is stabbed and murdered by a dangerous inmate trying to protect Rudy. When he is released, Rudy sees Ashley alone trying to find Nick and he poses to be his dead friend. They go to the motel, but Rudy is surprised by Asley's brother Gabriel and his four-men gang. Soon he learns that Gabriel has read Nick's letters to Ashley and knows that he had worked as security guard in the Tomahawk Casino managed by Jack Bangs. Gabriel and his gang are arms traffickers and truck drivers with no experience in heists and they force Rudy to plot the robbery of the casino based on his previous experience in the Tomahawk. What will Rudy do? If he confesses that he is not Nick, he will be expendable and killed by the criminals. — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Rudy Duncan is a reformed car thief who's just a day away from being released from prison. His cellmate and best friend, Nick is also due for release at the same time with Rudy. Nick continually brags about the female pen pal Ashley he's been writing to and has a large number of photos on his wall. But stabbed during a food riot Nick ends up out of the picture, and Rudy meets Ashley waiting outside the prison and assumes Nick's identity and ends up spending time with Ashley. Ashley's brutal sibling Gabriel and his crew of gun running thugs knew Nick used to work for a casino and want his assistance on a Christmas Eve robbery of the casino. Rudy attempts to explain the truth about his identity but must continue to act as Nick to save his life. Rudy is coerced to reluctantly aid Gabriel and his thugs to rob the casino. But things aren't what they appear and the robbery doesn't go quite as planned. — monkeykingma
• Nick Cassidy (James Frain) and Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck) are cellmates in prison two days away from release. Nick has been corresponding with a young woman named Ashley Mercer (Charlize Theron), who is waiting for him on the outside. All Rudy wants is to go back to his hometown of Sidnaw to have a piece of pecan pie with hot chocolate and spend time with his family for Christmas. After Nick dies in a prison fight (there were roaches in the gelatin & Nick was stabbed by Alamo (Dana Stubblefield), who was a fellow prisoner and was looking for Rudy as he thought Rudy was a snitch), Rudy gets released (as his prison time is over) alone along with the other prisoners and assumes Nick's identity so that Ashley will think he is the one who has been writing to her. They go to a diner to get to know each other, then they have sex in a cabin. Rudy wants to tell Ashley the truth, but the sex is too good and he flushes his driver's license down the toilet. Gabriel (Gary Sinise), the leader of a gang and Ashley's brother, kidnaps Rudy and Ashley in their cabin and tells Rudy that the gang, composed of Pug (Donal Logue), Merlin (Clarence Williams III), and Jumpy (Danny Trejo), will rob the casino that Nick used to work at, with Nick's knowledge of the place. Rudy reveals that he is not Nick, but Ashley believes that he is. She reveals that she wrote to him knowing that Gabriel was going to force Nick to assist in the robbery. Gabriel has selected Christmas time for the robbery as half the security staff is also on holidays. Using the information from the real Nick's prison cell stories, Rudy is able to devise a robbery plan and informs Gabriel that the biggest loot is hidden inside a safe in the manager Jack Bangs's (Dennis Farina) office, calling it the "PowWow safe." Gabriel shows Rudy a hand-drawn map of the casino, but Rudy claims that the casino has been remodeled. After Gabriel leaves Ashley and Rudy alone, Ashley tells Rudy that Gabriel only ran guns and has never robbed a place before. She convinces Rudy that her life is as much as stake as his own. They go to the casino the next day, with Rudy dressed as a cowboy, to snoop around to see any changes. Rudy chats with Nick's old boss, Jack Bangs at the bar. Merlin finds out from a cigarette girl that the casino was never remodeled and has been the same since it opened. Merlin attacks Rudy in the toilet, But Rudy escapes by impersonating a college student by switching clothes with him in the bathroom. Bangs is under pressure from the Indian owners of the casino that many of his ideas are not bringing in any revenues. Other Indian casinos have much higher profits. Rudy takes Ashley on the run with him (After she risk her life to save Rudy from Gabriel's fire) as Gabriel and his thugs pursue them to a frozen lake, firing guns at them. One of the bullets causes Ashley to fall through the ice. Forcing Rudy to jump in and rescue her. Gabriel and the thugs pull them out and are then spotted by an ice fisherman, whom Gabriel shoots dead through the man's shanty after getting suspicious. Frustrated by Rudy's escape attempt, Gabriel throws darts at him to get some answers and rants at him about his life as a truck driver, knowing that Jack Bangs doesn't know anything about the planned robbery. So Gabriel gives Rudy a second chance at drawing the map. Rudy convinces that Gabriel needs 6 people to make the robbery, including Ashley. Rudy also convinces Gabriel to give him a gun during the robbery. One night, Rudy breaks out of his hotel room and stumbles upon Gabriel and Ashley in the pool area, learning that they are lovers and not siblings, but he is forced to return to his room when he is almost caught by Merlin. The group robs the casino, each dressed as Santa Claus. Rudy, forced to take part in the robbery with only a squirt gun, hides the fact that he knows Ashley's secret. The robbery doesn't go according to plan due to confusion of inaccurate details of Rudy's plan (He told them there were no guns in the counting room) which gets many of the Santa killed. Ashley drives into the Casino (when 2 cops enter and start shooting at the Santa) and lets Rudy know she is in on the heist. All surviving meeting in the manager's office, Gabriel introduces Rudy to the casino manager as Nick but the manager only recognizes him as the cowboy from earlier and not Nick Cassidy. Rudy finally confesses. Gabriel, furious at Rudy's deception, spares him for a moment when he demands to know where the "PowWow" safe is. When the manager opens the safe, he grabs guns from inside and kills one of the robbers as the rest flee. The casino manager dies during the shootout. Rudy kills Merlin via flame combustion from Rudy's alcohol-filled squirt gun hitting the cigarette lighter, causing him to fall out the window, plummeting to his death below. Rudy is then grabbed out the back door by Gabriel and Ashley who tie him up in their 18-wheeler truck. They plan to drive him off the edge of a cliff in a burning vehicle with a little of the money so that officials will guess all the stolen money had been burned. After accidentally revealing too much information during an argument with Rudy (That she knew that Nick died taking a shiv for Rudy, when Rudy never told her how Nick died), Ashley shoots and kills the now suspicious Gabriel. Shortly after, Nick appears, having staged his death at the prison (he paid Alamo a $100 to stab him). It is revealed that Ashley's real name is Millie Bobeck and Rudy learns that the two had collaborated to rob the casino using Rudy, Gabriel, and Gabriel's gang. Millie had known the entire time who Rudy truly was. Nick also informs Rudy that the prison stories were part of a set-up. After they tie Rudy to the steering wheel to drive off the cliff, he produces a knife he had gotten earlier, cuts his bindings, hot wires the car, sets it to reverse and crushes Nick's legs. With Millie firing at him, he rams the fiery car into her and dives out as the car and Millie go over the cliff. Nick, who is still alive, tries to convince Rudy that they can share the money, but Rudy locks him in the truck and also sends it over the cliff. Rudy picks up the stolen cash and begins distributing it in mailboxes he comes across on the way home to his family, and he eats a Christmas dinner with them. The film closes with Rudy smiling.

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Reindeer Games (2000)

Directed by john frankenheimer.

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Reindeer Games is a 2000 American action thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer in his final feature directorial outing before his 2002 death. It stars Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron, Dennis Farina, James Frain, Donal Logue, Danny Trejo, and Clarence Williams III. The film revolves around ex-convict Rudy Duncan, who is dragged into a situation against his will: he must help a group of thieves rob a casino in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or he will be killed.

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-->   --> ) TOP STORIES ) . Enter your address: Review: 'Reindeer Games' a loser February 24, 2000 Web posted at: 4:49 p.m. EST (2149 GMT) "Reindeer Games," starring Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron and Gary Sinise, originally was set for a Christmas release. That may explain the name of this just-released film. But nothing else in this Dimension Films production makes much sense, and it has traveled a well-deserved rocky road on its way to a cineplex near you. The film's original title was "Reindeer Games," then it was changed to "Deception," then switched back to "Reindeer Games. The film's first and final title was apt for this caper flick whose time frame is set around the yuletide holidays. It comes complete with songs such as "Joy To The World" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." However, Dimension Film's parent company, Miramax Films, knows a turkey when it sees one. It held the film for a late February release, hoping for some quickie bucks based on the movie's star power before word-of-mouth sends this incomprehensible mess into a box-office nose dive. Affleck brings his sloppy grin and everyman charm to his role as Rudy Duncan, a hapless car thief doing time in prison. His cell mate has a beautiful pen pal named Ashley, played mechanically by Theron. Through a series of convenient plot twists, Rudy ends up with the girl after his release from the big house. But Ashley comes equipped with a sociopathic brother, Gabriel, played by Gary Sinise. A talented actor, he should have known better than to have signed on for this drivel. It seems Gabriel and his thug buddies are low-life gun runners looking to move up into the lofty and lucrative field of casino robbery. Through another series of transparent and convenient plot twists -- they're everywhere, folks -- this gang of losers mistakenly thinks Rudy has the inside dope on a Michigan casino run by Native Americans. They force him at gunpoint to take part in their harebrained scheme to rob the place, disguised as Santa Clauses, on Christmas Eve. Then, in quick succession, double-cross follows double-cross follows double-cross until this plot is so twisted it would make a pretzel envious. In an apparent effort to be too clever for his own good, screenwriter Ehren Kruger ("Arlington Road" and "Scream 3") has fashioned a script that tries to surprise the viewer at every conceivable turn. The result is a pileup of impossible-to-believe situations that just keep getting worse with every line uttered by anyone who happens to be on screen. With the possible exception of Affleck and Theron, who at least get to jump out of their clothes and jump on each other within the first 20 minutes of the film, no actor had any reason to participate in this sorry mess. Director John Frankenheimer has had a long and distinguished career. "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962), "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962) and "Black Sunday" (1977) are a few of his better efforts. But he's also responsible for "Prophecy," (1979) a ridiculous horror movie. His all-time lowest point has to have been "The Island of Dr. Moreau," (1996) arguably the worst film of the last decade -- a movie so bad it's even been taken off his resume in the production notes for this film. So "Reindeer Games" isn't at the bottom of his creative barrel, but it's close. Too close. This movie could give reindeers a bad name. Somewhere, Rudolph must be grumbling. 🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed! Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Get us in your inbox Sign up to our newsletter for the latest and greatest from your city and beyond By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Awesome, you're subscribed! The best things in life are free. Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush). Déjà vu! We already have this email. Try another? Love the mag? Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions. Things to Do Food & Drink Arts & Culture Time Out Market Coca-Cola Foodmarks Los Angeles Reindeer Games Time out says, release details. Duration: 104 mins Cast and crew Director: John Frankenheimer Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger Ben Affleck Gary Sinise Charlize Theron Dennis Farina James Frain Donal Logue Clarence Williams III Dana Stubblefield Mark Acheson Isaac Hayes Been there, done that? Think again, my friend. Discover Time Out original video Press office Investor relations Work for Time Out Editorial guidelines Privacy notice Do not sell my information Cookie policy Accessibility statement Terms of use Modern slavery statement Manage cookies Advertising Time Out Worldwide All Time Out Locations North America South America South Pacific REINDEER GAMES "won’t go down in history". None Light Moderate Heavy Language Violence Sex Nudity What You Need To Know: (PaPa, C, LLL, VVV, SS, NN, A, D, M) Pagan worldview of criminals with a slight recognition of Christ being the meaning of Christmas; 43 obscenities, 17 profanities & man rebukes man for using profanity; strong violence including shootings, beatings, explosions, two brief images of car hitting men, stabbing, man lights other man on fire, couple falls under ice & nearly drowns, & rioting; two brief fornication scenes & some heavy kissing; upper female nudity, rear male nudity & woman in underwear; alcohol use; smoking; and, lying & manipulation. More Detail: Director John Frankenheimer has made a great movie, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, a good movie, with the recent RONIN, and now a clunker with REINDEER GAMES. Known for his usual cool precision and fascination with the mechanics of suspense, Frankenheimer has traded in the real deal for a cartoon copy of a thriller. With goofy characters, lightweight leads and twists and turns that don’t incite intrigue, Rudolph needn’t worry about not being included in these games. Starring pretty-bland pretty-boy Ben Affleck, as ex-con Rudy (get it?), the movie begins with an episode of mistaken identity outside a northern Michigan prison. There, Ashley (Charlize Theron) and Rudy meet, but Ashley thinks Rudy is Nick, Rudy’s cell mate, and a man to whom she has been writing. Rudy plays along, tells Ashley that he is Nick, and the two are soon fornicating in a seedy hotel. Later, Ashley’s gun-smuggling brother, Monster (Gary Sinise), shows up with a pack of thugs and demands that Rudy (as Nick) help them rob an Indian Casino up North. Rudy tries to tell Monster and Ashley that he is not Nick and doesn’t know anything about the casino, but Monster won’t take no for an answer. Eventually, Rudy has to constantly think on his feet as he gets himself inextricably tied up in this crime, a crime he doesn’t want to commit, but must participate in to survive. Along the way, twists and turns occur, resulting in five men dressed as Santa Claus ending up dead. Because Affleck is such a favorite with many young American women right now, this movie had a stronger opening weekend than it deserved. It has chases and explosions and many things an action fan would want including all the clichés of a bad Van Damme movie. Frankenheimer knows better and seems to be directing this one with a lazy hand. The only interesting character is Sinise as monster, and even his character is very much from the land of goofball villains. Furthermore, many residents of Northern Michigan may notice that the land that claims to be Michigan in this movie is actually from farther North and to the West: Vancouver, British Columbia. Even the scenery is an imposter. Morally, the movie is mainly reprehensible. Lots of low-life cons, ex-cons, thugs, and guns, complete with a three-timing woman who services who ever is convenient to get her own way. Thankfully, there aren’t drugs involved in this mess to further make things ugly. The only moral thing of this movie is a recognition that Christmas is Christ’s birth. In one scene, a man uses profanity and another tells him to stop it because of Christmas and the Christ child. Since the success of RONIN, Frankenheimer has a multi-picture deal with Miramax. Here’s hoping that his next movie won’t try to snow you over. Join or Sign In Sign in to customize your TV listings By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . TV Listings Cast & Crew Reindeer Games Reviews 37   Metascore 1 hr 45 mins Drama, Suspense, Action & Adventure Watchlist Where to Watch Ben Affleck stars in this action-packed caper film from director John Frankenheimer. Upon his release from prison, a car thief (Affleck) is drawn into a complex casino heist by a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron) and a sadistic criminal (Gary Sinise). Ehren Kruger wrote the script. Clarence Williams III, Isaac Hayes, Dennis Farina, James Frain, Donal Logue. Professional car thief Rudy (Ben Affleck) was never much for the holidays, cynical neo-noir type guy that he is. But he and cellmate Nick (James Frain) are getting out of jail for Christmas, so they're in a relatively jolly frame of mind. Especially Nick, who'll be meeting the foxy gal who's been writing him soulful mash notes. Then everything goes to hell: Nick takes a fatal shiv meant for Rudy during a cafeteria brawl, and Rudy suckers Nick's dewy pen pal Ashley (Charlize Theron) into thinking he's her newly sprung boyfriend. Karmic payback arrives swiftly, in the form of Ashley's sadistic older brother Gabriel (Gary Sinise, spectacularly pumped up and greasy), who's planning to heist the casino where Nick used to work, and expects Nick to cough up the inside info. Lose/lose situation for Rudy: If he admits he's not Nick, Gabriel will kill him. If he says he is Nick, he'll be tripped up by the fact that he doesn't know a damned thing about the Tomahawk Casino's personnel or operations and Gabriel will kill him anyway. Of course, Rudy will find a way out of this dilemma, but screenwriter Ehren Kruger (who penned the lamentable SCREAM 3) devises a fine set of twists and turns for him to navigate through — suffice it to say that no one is exactly what he (or she) seems. Old pro Frankenheimer directs with brisk efficiency, and cinematographer Alan Caso bleeds so much color out of the snowy Michigan locations that they almost look as though they were shot in black and white. Sure, the plot's preposterous and Affleck is way too callow for a role that would have fit Robert Mitchum like a second-hand suit. But if the idea of goons in Santa suits tickles you, this just might be your kind of cheap, sleazy fun. Reindeer Games Reviewed by: Brett Willis STAFF WRITER Moviemaking Quality: Primary Audience: Genre: Length: Year of Release: USA Release: Featuring , , , James Frain, , Gary Sinise, Director Producer Distributor F rom the advance advertisements, this film looked like it might be an intelligent crime thriller. Not so; it’s a bloody action picture that otherwise holds its audience only by its unexpected plot twists and by a storyline so impossible that it borders on silliness. Rudy Duncan ( Ben Affleck ) and his cellmate Nick are both due to be paroled from Iron Mountain (Michigan) prison a few days before Christmas. But during a rigged prison riot, a man apparently seeking revenge against Rudy instead stabs Nick, who intervenes. On release day, Rudy knows that Nick’s penpal girlfriend ( Charlize Theron ) will be waiting at the gate; so he decides to impersonate Nick and get himself some casual romance (and he’s the HERO of the film). Problem is, the real Nick was once a security guard at a nearby Indian gambling casino; and there’s a small-time crook (Gary Sinise) who needs Nick’s inside information in order to finalize his gang’s plans to stick up the place. Once Rudy has said that he’s Nick, he has to pretend to be Nick to everyone. Profanity is extreme (over 50 uses of f*). Bloody violence is also extreme. There are two scenes of implied sex with brief partial nudity. The false identity and double-crossings don’t stop with Rudy’s ruse as Nick; to avoid spoiling the plot, I’ll say no more on that point. Even the “good guy” character commits a number of crimes and unethical acts (as usual, Hollywood creates a far-out plot situation to make his actions seem more excusable than they ordinarily would be); so we must endure two hours of mindless violence with only half of a hero to cheer for. I’d call this one a waste of the viewer’s time and a waste of good acting talent. The most enjoyable scenes for me were the landscapes of Upper Michigan (one of my favorite vacation spots), and there were only a few of those. To accept this film on its own terms, the viewer must suspend disbelief to about the same extent as when watching “Alice in Wonderland”. 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Common Sense Says Parents Say 1 Review Kids Say 0 Reviews Common Sense Media Review Over-the-top killing, blood, gore in romantic action comedy. Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that The Killer's Game is an action-comedy-romance about an assassin (Dave Bautista) who learns that he's dying and takes out a contract on himself, then discovers he's going to live but is unable to stop the onslaught of killers coming for him. Extremely over-the-top violence includes… Why Age 16+? Lots of over-the-top, comic-book-style action/killing. Guns and shooting. Grenad Two scantily clad women sleep in a man's apartment; the implication is that he's Language includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "c--t," "t-ts," "as Character drinks whiskey from the bottle and gets drunk before sending a difficu Any Positive Content? In the main cast, Dave Bautista is half Filipino, Sofia Boutella is from Algeria There's a message about telling the truth in order to establish trust; if a lie Characters are likable, and they're definitely brave, but their behavior is extr Violence & Scariness Lots of over-the-top, comic-book-style action/killing. Guns and shooting. Grenades and explosions. Knives and stabbing/slicing. A blade is impaled in a character's face, and characters are slashed with a katana sword. Fighting with swords and blunt objects. Many blood spurts and spatters, plus oozing blood and other gore. Severed limbs, exploding heads, and dead bodies. Martial arts-style fighting. Punching, kicking. Head-bashing. Characters are slammed against hard surfaces and through walls, impaled, slashed with shoe/boot blades/spurs, crushed by fallen scaffolding, hit by a car, and lit on fire. Person's throat is sliced by dragging it along edge of broken window. A character lights a cigar with a severed hand that's on fire. A person's limbs are ripped off with motorcycles and chains. Men's private parts are sliced and crushed. Person clobbered with motorcycles. Character's head crushed with foot. Handful of teeth goes flying after a hard punch. Lead pipe to chest. A woman is punched in the face and knocked out cold. A woman is knocked over in a rushing mob and stepped on. Broken limbs. Character uses glue to close an open wound. Character is told he has a debilitating disease that will kill him. Reference to "trafficking women." Other violent incidents described in dialogue. Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. Sex, Romance & Nudity Two scantily clad women sleep in a man's apartment; the implication is that he's had sex with both of them. One woman is topless, but she's mostly covered or out of focus. Characters kiss and are playful in bed together; a woman straddles a man, snuggling. Graphic, sex-related dialogue ("blow job," "swallow," "take it in the ass," "it gets me wet," etc.). A woman grabs a man's private parts and suggests that she's ready for sex. Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide. Language includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "c--t," "t-ts," "ass," "bitch," "son of a bitch," "bastard," "prick," "d--k," "twat," "dumbass," "piss," "hell," "bollocks," "stupid," "oh my God," "shut up." Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide. Drinking, Drugs & Smoking Character drinks whiskey from the bottle and gets drunk before sending a difficult text, which begins "I'm drunk…" Character takes a prescription and washes it down with a swig of whiskey from the bottle. Brief cocaine-snorting. Secondary characters regularly smoke cigarettes or cigars. Characters drink beers and smoke in a bar. Empty beer cans fall out of a car. Characters celebrate with champagne. A priest is introduced with the sound of a clattering bottle; he weaves back and forth while speaking. Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. Diverse Representations In the main cast, Dave Bautista is half Filipino, Sofia Boutella is from Algeria, Terry Crews is African American, and Pom Klementieff is mixed race (Korean and White). They all have at least a little agency, although the movie's world allows for very little wiggle room. Various contract killers and groups of killers represent a range of cultures and ethnicities, including Korean, Latin, Scottish, African American, and more. Overall, the cast seems to come from all over the world. Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update. Positive Messages There's a message about telling the truth in order to establish trust; if a lie or a hidden truth is ignored for too long, it can undo trust that has been built. But mostly the movie is about fighting until the last person is standing. Positive Role Models Characters are likable, and they're definitely brave, but their behavior is extremely violent, and there are no consequences. Parents need to know that The Killer's Game is an action-comedy-romance about an assassin ( Dave Bautista ) who learns that he's dying and takes out a contract on himself, then discovers he's going to live but is unable to stop the onslaught of killers coming for him. Extremely over-the-top violence includes shooting, stabbing, slicing, blood spurts/spatters, gore, severed limbs, fighting, punching, and kicking, with characters killed in a jaw-dropping array of creative ways. Sexual situations include two scantily clad women in a man's bedroom (one is topless, but not much is visible), characters kissing and being playful in bed, and graphic sex-related dialogue. Other strong language includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "c--t," "t-ts," "ass," "bitch," "bastard," "prick," "twat," and more. Characters drink and get drunk, briefly snort cocaine, and frequently smoke cigars and cigarettes. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails . Where to Watch Videos and photos. Parent and Kid Reviews Parents say (1) Based on 1 parent review What's the Story? In THE KILLER'S GAME, Joe Flood ( Dave Bautista ) is the best assassin in the game, but lately he's started experiencing headaches and double vision. On his latest job, he rescues a beautiful ballet dancer, Maize ( Sofia Boutella ), and she invites him to dinner. They hit it off and quickly fall in love, but then Joe visits a doctor and learns that he has a degenerative illness and only three months to live. Rather than confess what he does for a living to Maize and put her through the agony of his death, Joe contacts his loyal handler, Zvi ( Ben Kingsley ), and asks him to put out a hit on himself. Zvi refuses, so Joe goes to an old archenemy, Marianna ( Pom Klementieff ), who's only too happy to comply. But just before the contract is set to begin, Joe gets a call from his doctor: There was a mistake, and he's going to live! Alas, it's too late to call off the contract, and now Joe must face an entire army of professional killers who are gunning for him. Is It Any Good? It's not exactly the most original idea for a movie, but this action/comedy runs with it, keeping things light and speedy, with Bautista holding up his end as a tough, funny, romantic lead. Directed by former stuntman JJ Perry ( Day Shift ), The Killer's Game gets things going right away with Joe pulling off a hit during a ballet. The murders are, of course, intercut with the dancing, but it works. The dancing is exciting, and the cutting is crisp. Another clever sequence intercuts Joe and Maize's budding romance with more of Joe's killings; he adorns her with a necklace and strangles a victim in the same beat. As the movie goes on, Perry finds ways to keep the killings surprising and not repetitive, but it's Bautista who sells most of this. He has a fun, low-key delivery that makes most of his one-liners work, and Joe's impromptu confession to a Catholic priest is flat-out hilarious. But what's really notable about the movie is that fully embraces its unabashed romance. Joe and Maize are truly in love, and viewers are likely to really root for them. Movies about unending violence can be numbing, and certainly The Killer's Game doesn't break any new ground, but, in treating this whole business as a "game," it winds up being a decent measure of fun. Talk to Your Kids About ... Families can talk about The Killer's Game 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important? How are drinking , smoking , and drug use depicted? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter? What's interesting about stories in which criminals are the main characters? Can they be considered antiheroes? Movie Details In theaters : September 13, 2024 Cast : Dave Bautista , Sofia Boutella , Terry Crews Director : JJ Perry Inclusion Information : Asian actors, Female actors, Middle Eastern/North African actors, Black actors Studio : Lionsgate Genre : Action/Adventure Run time : 104 minutes MPAA rating : R MPAA explanation : strong bloody violence throughout, language, some sexual material, brief drug use and nudity Last updated : September 13, 2024 Did we miss something on diversity? Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update. Suggest an Update What to watch next. John Wick: Chapter 4 Kingsman: The Secret Service The Hitman's Bodyguard Bullet Train Grosse Pointe Blank You Kill Me Best action movies for kids, romance movies. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. The Killer’s Game The Killer's Game (Lionsgate) Review A number of wrestlers over the years have attempted to make the shift from the ring to the big screen, and, of them, I think that my favorite may well be Dave Bautista, who has shown himself to be a genuinely intriguing screen personality over the last few years. Sure, he is fearsome and imposing enough to be convincing in pure action roles but it goes beyond that—he has shown a real flair for comedy as well in things like the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films and “Glass Onion,” and, on the occasions when he has been asked to flex only his dramatic muscles, as in his brief turn in “Blade Runner 2049,” he has demonstrated a quietly down-to-earth quality reminiscent of the late, great character actor Robert Forster. Even when he is stuck in mediocre-to-awful films like the “My Spy” films, his screen presence is enough to keep you watching. While Bautista is still as engaging as ever in the woeful action-comedy “Killer’s Game,” not even he can save this dud from quickly devolving into 100 minutes of blood-drenched tedium. He plays Joe Flood, a veteran hired killer based out of Budapest. Don’t worry, for he is the perhaps the most ethical such character to hit the screen in many a moon—he only accepts assignments to eradicate those who truly deserve it, he has a strict code of ethics towards his profession that he will not cross under any circumstances, and the role of Zvi, his mentor/handler, has been filled by no less a figure than Ben Kingsley, the man who once played Gandhi. The guy is so blessed that during the slaughter at a dance recital that makes up the opening sequence, he manages to have a meet cute with lead dancer Maize (Sofia Boutella) that blossoms into a romance that inspires him to want to get out of the game for good, now that he has what a much better hitman comedy would have described as “a newfound respect for life.” Alas, Joe has also been suffering from debilitating headaches, and his doctor reports that he has been stricken with an incurable neurodegenerative disease and gives him only three months to live. Not wanting Maize to see him suffer, he hits upon the idea of taking out a contract on himself, but when Zvi refuses to handle it, he goes to another assassin handler, Marianna (Pom Klementieff), to hire someone to do him in. Since Marianna’s father is one of the many that Joe has taken out over the years, she is perfectly happy to bring people in for the job. Unfortunately, at precisely the moment that the contract takes effect—Spoiler Alert!—Joe’s doctor calls to let him know that there was a mix-up at the lab and that he is perfectly healthy. When Joe tries to call off the contract, Marianna not only refuses but brings in a whole array of killers and mercenaries. The concept of someone hiring a hit man to kill somebody, having a sudden change of heart and then being unable to get the contract cancelled, is one that has turned up in a number of films over the years—the late Graham Chapman spun it out into a quirky comedy entitled “The Odd Job” (1978) and it was a key component of the plot of Warren Beatty’s great “Bulworth.” However, screenwriters Rand Ravich and James Coyne, adapting a novel by Jay R. Bonnansinga, have failed to come up with any kind of fresh spin on the material that might have made it more interesting. Once the basic premise is set up, the film becomes little more than a string of scenes in which Joe is confronted by groups of increasingly colorful hired killers—including a lesbian stripper duo, a pair of Scottish brothers whose every utterance require subtitles and what appears to be the world’s deadliest K-pop group—and beats, shoots, stabs and/or blows them up real good in scenes containing enough carnage to make a John Wick film seem practically Buddhist by comparison. This might have been acceptable if these battles were presented with the kind of kinetic visual flair and energy of those films, but they are handled by director J.J. Perry (whose previous film was the Jamie Foxx vampire hunter bore “Day Shift”) in a noisy-but-listless manner that is further undone by the vast amounts of woefully unconvincing CGI gore on display. Even in these mostly dire circumstances, Bautista does the best he can with the hand (among other body parts flying around) on display and whatever degree that the film does work is due almost entirely to his efforts. My guess is that even though he must have realized doing something like this was probably a step backwards after appearing in more ambitious projects like the various MCU films, the two “Dune” movies, and even “Knock at the Cabin,” he was still determined to give it his all and as a result, it is more tolerable than it might have been in other hands. As for the rest of the cast, there are a number of strong personalities among them (including Terry Crews as one of the hired killers) but they are mostly wasted—the fiery Boutella is reduced to playing the concerned girlfriend, Kingsley is clearly just going through the motions and anyone expecting big things from the reunion of Bautista and his MCU co-star Klementieff will be bummed to discover that they only share maybe a couple of minutes of screen time together tops. Dull and derivative in equal measure, “The Killer’s Game” is a piece of prefab cinematic product so utterly generic that the only truly surprising thing about it is that it is actually getting a theatrical release instead of going directly to streaming, where it would be swallowed up in the algorithm quickly and without anyone noticing or mourning its loss. This is a shame because Bautista, even at this relatively early stage in his screen career, clearly deserves better material than he has been granted here. Hopefully by the time that he finally becomes a full-fledged movie star of note, most everyone will have forgotten that it even existed. Hell, most everyone will probably forget that it existed by the end of this month. Peter Sobczynski A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around  bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network. Dave Bautista as Joe Flood Sofia Boutella as Maize Terry Crews as Lovedahl Pom Klementieff as Marianna Ben Kingsley as Zvi Scott Adkins as Angus Mackenzie Andrew Galloway as Rory Mackenzie Lucy Cork as Ginny Daniel Bernhardt as Radovan Hoon Lee as Goyang Marko Zaror as Emilio 'El Botas' Raffaello Degruttola as Dr. Kagen George Somner as Money Scott Alexander Young as Gabor József Kovalik Jr. as Flavio Rand Ravich Simon Kinberg Leave a comment Now playing. 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Some great action scenes make this a nice night out to watch Dave Bautista. Full Review | Original Score: C | Sep 15, 2024 An action film more obsessed with the in-out traffic of a certain human orifice than delivering a strong setpiece, "The Killer's Game" is a disappointingly anonymous follow-up to 2022's surprisingly fun "Day Shift" by stuntman-turned-filmmaker J.J. Perry. Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 14, 2024 It will keep you cheesing for just short of two hours, further cementing Dave Bautista as one of the most reliable and reliably interesting performers working today. Full Review | Sep 14, 2024 What really makes the movie is Bautista, who projects a comforting sweetness even while he’s snapping some guy’s leg in half, and an intimidating brutality even when he’s struggling to flirt by text. Emphasizing brawn over brains, and spectacle over substance, after a while it starts to feel like an endless, repetitive montage of videogame-style set pieces. Full Review | Sep 13, 2024 The repetition and sameness got tedious. Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 13, 2024 J.J. Perry’s The Killer’s Game knows how to use its monstrously sized star, Dave Bautista, for brutal, over-the-top physicality, Looney Tunes-inspired violence, and gore Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 13, 2024 Seriously, Dave Bautista literally dismembering some K-pop band lookalikes is not as exciting as it may sound. ... Bautista tries to carry the load of the crumbling script on his broad shoulders and overshadow tonal shifts with his huge charisma. While Bautista is still as engaging as ever ... not even he can save this dud from quickly devolving into 100 minutes of blood-drenched tedium. Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Sep 13, 2024 An action film with no thrills and a comedy bereft of laughs, The Killer’s Game plays like a tax shelter disguised as a movie. This grating debacle is an attempt at a throwback to an era that none of us wants to be thrown back into. The Killer’s Game doesn’t share DNA with John Wick so much as late 1990s/early 2000s “action comedies” that were often neither of those things. Full Review | Original Score: D- | Sep 13, 2024 Is The Killer's Game fun? Yes. Is it cute? Yes. Is it a movie we NEED? Not by a long shot. The characters are meant to be outrageous or goofy, but the dials never turn up enough to actually make it memorable or colorful enough There's an entertaining movie to be made from the elements on display here, but director J.J. Perry's attempt isn't it. Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Sep 13, 2024 It’s quite fortunate that Bautista is a strong lead, since many of the film’s other choices work against its success. Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Sep 13, 2024 It starts out well enough but gets progressively silly, tedious and repetitious. “The Killer’s Game” is mainly a time killer. Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 13, 2024 Everybody's overdressed and over-the-top, but none of them over-the-top enough to make much of an impression and shake off the script's "This could not be dumber" feeling. The perfect combination of action, romance, and comedy, this movie is an absolute blast. Dave Bautista shows off his proven fighting skills, as well as his softer romantic side. Full Review | Sep 12, 2024 Bautista looks the part, but he’s not the right fit for this ultraviolent, broadly comedic offering. Full Review | Original Score: C | Sep 12, 2024 While those conceits work well enough in movies starring Keanu, here they fall flat. The action choreography is better than passable, although Perry adds grindhouse-movie levels of gore and dismemberment in a dubious effort to up the thrill quotient. 2024 UnGala Tickets on Sale Chicago Reader Chicago’s alternative nonprofit newsroom Review: The Killer’s Game Share this:. Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) It’s deceptively difficult to pull off a boneheaded, lighthearted, big-budget action film, as many mediocre superhero films have demonstrated over the last decades. Stuntman turned director J.J. Perry got off to a rough start with the genre in his impressively awful first feature, Day Shift (2022). But in his sophomore effort, an adaptation of Jay Bonansinga’s novel The Killer’s Game , he finds the right mixture of engagingly silly plot, stylishly brutal choreography, and charismatic protagonist. The plot is—as you’d expect—by the numbers. Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is a hit man with a heart of gold who falls for ballerina Maize (Sofia Boutella) while on a job in Budapest. Joe discovers he has a terminal illness and decides to put out a contract on his own life in hopes of giving Maize a big life insurance payout. Things inevitably go awry: Joe decides he doesn’t want to die, so he has to fight off an array of colorful hit people, à la the John Wick franchise. Perry is clearly having a blast choreographing different fighting styles, from Spanish dancer assassin to Korean schoolgirl assassin. The direction is fun as well; a montage sequence that cuts with lyrical glee between Joe and Maize courting and Joe murdering targets is a highlight. What really makes the movie, though, is Bautista, who projects a comforting sweetness even while he’s snapping some guy’s leg in half, and an intimidating brutality even when he’s struggling to flirt by text. It’s easy to see why Maize falls in love with him, and it’s hard not to fall in love with him yourself. Few actors manage that kind of mixture of charm and menace, and it turns The Killer’s Game from a run-of-the-mill genre exercise into a perfect boneheaded, lighthearted, big-budget action confection.   R, 104 min. Wide release in theaters Reader Recommends: FILM & TV Our critics review the best on the big and small screens and in the media . Review: Speak No Evil Review: The Becomers Review: I’ll Be Right There Review: Strange Darling Review: Bad Press Review: Close Your Eyes 152 IMAGES Reindeer Games Reindeer Games Homecoming (2022) Review + Parents Guide Reindeer Games Homecoming (2022) Reindeer Games (2020) Reindeer Games Homecoming Review Reindeer Games (2000) VIDEO Play Reindeer Games, Win Reindeer Prizes Comic Reindeer games Ultimate Reindeer Games Christmas Cocktail! Big Brother Reindeer Games 2023 Episode 3 Recap & Review Opening to Reindeer Games 2000 DVD COMMENTS Reindeer Games movie review & film summary (2000) Reindeer Games. Action. 98 minutes ‧ R ‧ 2000. Roger Ebert. February 25, 2000. 3 min read. "Reindeer Games" is the first All Talking Killer picture. After the setup, it consists mostly of characters explaining their actions to one another. I wish I'd had a stopwatch, to clock how many minutes are spent while one character holds a gun ... Reindeer Games Reindeer Games. Just released from prison, all Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck) wants is to start a new life with Ashley (Charlize Theron), the girl of his dreams, whom he met through pen pal letters in ... Reindeer Games (2000) The main flaw in this movie was the lack of action until the end. The casino robbery itself should've been more action-packed, like it seemed on the commercial. Even in the ending there was more irony and surprise than there was action. But the story and was action was there was still very well done. Reindeer Games Reindeer Games (alternatively titled Deception) [2] is a 2000 American action thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer in his final feature directorial outing before his 2002 death. It stars Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron, Dennis Farina, James Frain, Donal Logue, Danny Trejo, and Clarence Williams III.The film revolves around ex-convict Rudy Duncan, who is dragged into a ... Reindeer Games Movie Review. Rudy Duncan has done his time—six years in prison for grand theft auto. He and buddy Nick (serving two years for manslaughter) are both just days away from parole. ... Summary: Reindeer Games exists for its twists and turns, a bevy of unexpected revelations that unfold throughout, but do so with a vengeance in the movie's ... Reindeer Games Mike Massie Gone With The Twins. This is the kind of film in which amateurish baddies talk far too much before taking action. Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Jan 2, 2022. Eddie Harrison film ... Reindeer Games Only Rudolph with his nose so bright could hope to spotlight every last inanity in "Reindeer Games," a breathlessly paced potboiler that's a "thriller" in name only. With a far-fetched script that ... `Reindeer Games': Santa Would Surely Be Useful Right Now He's game, though, and his slight dislocation works to the advantage of "Reindeer Games," the newest wheel-within-a-wheel script from Ehren Kruger ("Scream 3," "Arlington Road"). As directed by John Frankenheimer, the movie (which has the best title of the year) is a lot of fun until it becomes a Xerox of a blueprint for a hit. Reindeer Games Spangle. Dec 19, 2016. Reindeer Games is an incredible disposable action flick with a silly and cliched plot. Fortunately, it is tremendously fun. Directed by John Frankenheimer, Reindeer Games has a largely silly plot with odd plot twists along the way that do not really seem to make sense. It is as if they are thrown in there at the very end ... Reindeer Games (2000) Reindeer Games (2000) - Movies, TV, Celebs, and more... Menu. Movies. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. ... Metacritic reviews. Reindeer Games. 37. Metascore. 33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com. 75. Reindeer Games Reindeer Games lacks the emotional resonance of Frankenheimer's classic films (The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May) or his recent work on TV (George Wallace) and film (Ronin). But it ... ‎Reindeer Games (2000) directed by John Frankenheimer • Reviews, film Top 5 Reasons To Watch Reindeer Games: 5. One of the dumbest, most convoluted 'twist' endings imaginable. 4. Isaac Hayes' most inexplicable film role. It's baffling. 3. Charlize Theron. 2. "I want some fuckin hAAt chAAklAAt... and some pecan fuckin pie." 1. Dennis Farina's inexplicable false teeth. A truly breathtaking mess of a motion picture. Reindeer Games Reindeer Games suffers from a poorly written screenplay that, coupled with static and uninspired direction, lends the production a cheap and cheesy feel. And the big "twist" at the end, which will undoubtedly become one of the film's prime selling hooks, comes from so far afield that it's impossible to logically predict. Reindeer Games Summary, Trailer, Cast, and More Reindeer Games is a heist thriller starring Ben Affleck as an ex-convict who assumes his deceased cellmate's identity to win the affections of a woman named Ashley (Charlize Theron). He gets entangled in a casino robbery orchestrated by Ashley's brother (Gary Sinise). Directed by John Frankenheimer, the film delves into themes of deception and ... Reindeer Games (2000) Synopsis. Nick Cassidy (James Frain) and Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck) are cellmates in prison two days away from release. Nick has been corresponding with a young woman named Ashley Mercer (Charlize Theron), who is waiting for him on the outside. All Rudy wants is to go back to his hometown of Sidnaw to have a piece of pecan pie with hot chocolate ... Reindeer Games (2000) Reindeer Games is a 2000 American action thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer in his final feature directorial outing before his 2002 death. It stars Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron, Dennis Farina, James Frain, Donal Logue, Danny Trejo, and Clarence Williams III. Entertainment Robbery film suffers from too many twists, turns. February 24, 2000. Web posted at: 4:49 p.m. EST (2149 GMT) By Reviewer Paul Clinton. "Reindeer Games," starring Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron and ... Reindeer Games 2000, directed by John Frankenheimer There are enjoyable moments, not least the hungry love-making of Affleck and Theron shortly after his release. Filmed with handheld cameras and edited as jump cuts, the scene is far from explicit ... REINDEER GAMES The Family and Christian Guide to Movie Reviews and Entertainment News. ... In REINDEER GAMES, Ben Affleck plays an ex-con named Rudy mistaken for his cellmate Nick. Nick's pen-pal girlfriend Ashley seduces Rudy, and the next thing Rudy knows, he is involved in a plot to rob an Indian-owned casino. Rudy has to constantly think on his feet to ... Reindeer Games Check out the exclusive TV Guide movie review and see our movie rating for Reindeer Games Reindeer Games (2000) MOVIE REVIEW. Reindeer Games MPA Rating: for strong violence, language, and sexuality. Reviewed by: Brett Willis STAFF WRITER. Moral Rating: ... The only good things about this movie were Ben Affleck and the last 2 minutes. It's like riding the new roller-coaster at a theme park. You stand in line for two hours for 30 seconds of entertainment. The Killer's Game Movie Review Parents need to know that The Killer's Game is an action-comedy-romance about an assassin (Dave Bautista) who learns that he's dying and takes out a contract on himself, then discovers he's going to live but is unable to stop the onslaught of killers coming for him. Extremely over-the-top violence includes… The Killer's Game movie review (2024) The concept of someone hiring a hit man to kill somebody, having a sudden change of heart and then being unable to get the contract cancelled, is one that has turned up in a number of films over the years—the late Graham Chapman spun it out into a quirky comedy entitled "The Odd Job" (1978) and it was a key component of the plot of Warren Beatty's great "Bulworth." 'The Killer's Game' Review: Catch Him if You Can "The Killer's Game" begins with an atypical boy-meets-girl scenario. The high-end assassin Joe Flood, played by the bullet-headed Dave Bautista, spies his future love, the modern dancer ... The Killer's Game An action film more obsessed with the in-out traffic of a certain human orifice than delivering a strong setpiece, "The Killer's Game" is a disappointingly anonymous follow-up to 2022's ... Review: The Killer's Game Posted in Movie Review Review: The Killer's Game. The Killer's Game does big-budget action right. by Noah Berlatsky September 13, 2024 September 11, 2024. Share this: Who will win the Emmys? 'Shogun' is prepped for battle The most hotly contested Emmy races, in fact, are in the limited series categories. Here, "Baby Reindeer," "Fargo," "True Detective" and "Fellow Travelers" have shots at taking home prizes. The ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis