Release Date:
September 2009 (USA) now on video or stream online now
.What it's about: In a future mind-controlling game, death row convicts are forced to battle in a 'doom'-type environment. Convict Kable, controlled by Simon, a skilled teenage gamer, must survive 30 sessions in order to be set free. Staring, Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall , Amber Valletta, Logan Lerman ( who last played Christian Bale's son in the Western 3:10 to Yuma), and Terry Crews.
The Good:
1. It's exiting- as Kim Newman of Empire Magazine- writes it's an injection of adrenaline straight to the eye – which isn't entirely a bad thing
2. Six Feet Under/Dexter star Michael C. Hall finally gets a worthy movie role as an eccentric puppet-master villain.
3. Like all good science fiction films there is much to be considered. Some topics, such as the cost of carrying for death row inmates might be mitigated by using those inmates to fight one another for public entertainment, have been heavily referenced in many other movies. But that is not the main point of the film (in my opinion). Technology and it's control leading to abuse is the main point (again in my opinion.)
The concept of control and the willingness to be controlled ("It's a job".) and the inanity of those who are controlling (not by capability but by wealth) speak to the culture of today.
The Bad
1. It won't win points for originality or depth,
2. Gerard Butler in a laughable version of the usual character played Schwarzenegger in his heydays .
3. Convoluted storyline. Even fans of lousy movies will have a hard time following it. Parts of this movie just seemed very disjointed.
4. The film dashes from one over-stylized battle sequence to the next and some think it uses too many quick-cut edits during the fight sequences .
5. Emotionality is lacking in this film, by choice. There is no big emotional payout at the end. It's almost like a highly violent sports event where at the end the losing team, simply tells the winning team- `good game'. And, after all, the movie is about a game and those that play the game. Though not strongly `preached', a character does consider how everyone in life is in a sense playing a game.
VERDICT
Gamer is a sci-fi flick that blast violently through it's 95 minutes. As one reviewer described it :"It's a vehicle for sex, violence and over-the-top acting." If that sounds like it might be entertaining, you should check out this film.
You can stream the entire movie live now through Amazons Streaming Video Service CLICK HERE
written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, known together professionally as Neveldine/Taylor.
The duo is known for maintaining a small budget and worldwide gross making all of their films financially profitable. They have written and directed several films together that include the better known Crank , and Crank: High Voltage also starring Jatham Statham. They are also known for often being their own cameramen , in this movie during a battles sequences Mark filmed the action while wearing their rollerblades, (much like he did in Crank,) and in another scene, Mark was hung from a rig that had him suspended 40-feet above the action running forward and dropping down into the middle of it.
More EXTRA INFO:
Gerald Butler, (born November 13,1969) is a Scottish actor, who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies
(1997), which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in the American miniseries Attila (2001). He garnered critical acclaim for his breakthrough work as the lead in Joel Schumacher's 2004 film adaptation of the musical Phantom of the Opera
. In 2007, Butler gained worldwide recognition through his portrayal of King Leonidas in the film 300
. Since then, he has appeared in projects includingP.S. I Love You
(2007), Nim's Island
2008), Rocknrolla
(2008), The Ugly Truth
(2009), Gamer (2009), Law Abiding Citizen
(2009) and The Bounty Hunter
(2010).
View Larger Size-- Advisory: This film contains sex, nudity, strong language, brutal violence
