Michael Douglas, in one of his symbol-of-white-male-privilege roles, is thrust into a paranoid scenario where anyone could be part of a deadly game. Sean Penn is effortlessly wily and mysterious as the brother who’s bestowed this dubious gift, either to destroy Douglas or to save him.
Still, despite the refreshing excitement that comes with not knowing where the story is going, the whole adds up to slightly less than the sum of the parts. The notion of the game as a metaphor for life as an unsolvable puzzle ends up delivering a less-than-satisfying payoff, but the movie works more times than it doesn’t.
Leave a Reply