Gamer (2009)

Directors:

Mark Neveldine
Brian Taylor

Writers (WGA):

Mark Neveldine (written by) &
Brian Taylor (written by)

Release Date:

4 September 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

In the near future, you don't live to play... you'll play to live.

Plot:

Set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environments...

Plot Keywords:

Online Gaming | Shootout | Fictional Game Show | One Word Title | Prison

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gerard Butler	...	Kable
Amber Valletta	...	Angie
Michael C. Hall	...	Ken Castle
Kyra Sedgwick	...	Gina Parker Smith
Logan Lerman	...	Simon
Alison Lohman	...	Trace
Terry Crews	...	Hackman
Ramsey Moore	...	Gorge
Ludacris	...	Humanz Brother (as Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges)
Aaron Yoo	...	Humanz Dude
Jonathan Chase	...	Geek Leader
Dan Callahan	...	Backup Geek
Brighid Fleming	...	Delia
Johnny Whitworth	...	Scotch
Keith Jardine	...	Mean Slayer

Also Known As:

Citizen Game (USA) (fake working title)
Game (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for frenetic sequences of strong brutal violence throughout, sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44947) | Norway:15 | UK:18 | Ireland:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Finland:K-15 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:III | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque Studios - 5650 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Lionsgate

Trivia:

The motorcycle driven by Trace is a Buell Firebolt.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where it reads "Kables Last Stand" on three separate buildings, the furthest left building has the original banner reflection of the middle building in place of the word "Last", including an NBC logo at the bottom.

Quotes:

Hackman: [singing] I've got no strings, so I have fun. I'm not tied up to anyone. They got strings, but you can see, there are no strings on me.

Movie Connections:

References Blade Runner (1982)

Soundtrack:

I've Got You Under My Skin

Three films in one -- nuanced & stimulating in every way

The premise of "Gamer" is resoundingly simple: What if gamers could control actual people? Coming into the theater, due to the simple premise and embarrassingly poor marketing of the film, I was expecting a brainless, adolescently indulgent action flick. What I got was a mind-blowing surprise.

"Gamer" is three films in one: (1) Subculture examination of the gamer ethos; (2) Pulse-pounding action movie; (3) Thought-provoking science fiction piece.

As others have mentioned, this film truly brings the gamer experience to the big screen. The battle shots bring MMORPG first-person shooters to real life, and the Sims/Second Life-like scenes played just as true, right down to the robotic, singlemindedly determined motion of the characters. The directors obviously spent many long hours gaming in preparation for this film (or just for fun).

As an action film, "Gamer" holds its own, delivering plenty of fights, battle scenes, and adrenaline-soaked moments. Hollywood knows how to do action, and in "Gamer" you see some of what it has learned from films like "The Matrix", "Saving Private Ryan", and others. I won't say too much, but there's a particularly juicy scene involving some kind of giant snowplow.

"Gamer" shines most brightly, and most unexpectedly, as a science fiction piece. The film interweaves themes familiar to our 2009 reality, including economic desperation, prison overcrowding, the fallout of materialism, and technology naively promoted as a panacea for society's ills.

"Gamer" shows us a society addicted to technology at the expense of facing reality. Masses of gamers, locked in adolescence or enraptured by the promise of mindless self-indulgence without consequence, living solely through their avatars. Desperate segments of society, the poor and criminal, who have surrendered control of their bodies to the will of gamers. A populace that embraces televised war games as a solution to prison overcrowding, rather than addressing the true causes of mass imprisonment. The megalomaniacal pushers of technology running largely unchecked as the masses surrender control.

Michael C. Hall delivers a breakout silver screen performance as the multifaceted Ken Castle -- after his great work in Six Feet Under, this is another power move for his career. Kyra Sedgwick nails her cougar reporter character, who begins the film as another no-conscience profiteer but becomes more through the course of the film. And Gerard Butler plays the hero archetype admirably, as every bit of the man who his spoiled teenage gamer-puppeteer cannot become.

"Gamer" may end up as a cult classic, a slowly growing mainstream success, or could stay underrated indefinitely, but it's definitely worth a view.