← Back to Directory
The Game
Movie

The Game

1997 • Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Woke Score
2.2
out of 10

Plot

Nicholas Van Orton is a very wealthy San Francisco banker, but he is an absolute loner, even spending his birthday alone. In the year of his 48th birthday (the age his father committed suicide) his brother Conrad, who has gone long ago and surrendered to addictions of all kinds, suddenly returns and gives Nicholas a card giving him entry to unusual entertainment provided by something called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Giving in to curiosity, Nicholas visits CRS and all kinds of weird and bad things start to happen to him.

Overall Series Review

A taut, psychological thriller that focuses on the individual crisis of a wealthy, detached man. The film centers on Nicholas Van Orton's journey as his controlled life is systematically dismantled by a mysterious company's 'game.' The narrative explores themes of loneliness, wealth, control, and personal rebirth, stemming from the trauma of his father's suicide. The plot is driven purely by character psychology and suspense, not by group identity or social commentary. The protagonist is judged by his severe lack of character merit and forced to become more empathetic. Female and minority characters exist in supporting roles or as tools of the plot's central manipulation, and the film does not engage in any ideological lecturing regarding gender or sexuality. It is a time-capsule piece from the 1990s that prioritizes an individual’s existential dilemma over a critique of social systems.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The plot is a deep dive into the psychological collapse and personal redemption of a white male protagonist who is depicted as a self-centered 'asshole' solely due to his cold character and isolated wealth, not his immutable characteristics. Casting is naturally colorblind and lacks forced diversity.

Oikophobia3/10

The film satirizes the emotional emptiness and isolating nature of high-finance privilege and the protagonist's rigid world. The critique is aimed at the individual’s oligarchical detachment, not a condemnation of Western civilization, culture, or institutions writ large. His ancestral family wealth and home are the setting of his misery, but not demonized beyond this personal context.

Feminism2/10

Gender dynamics are traditional. The female lead, Christine, is primarily a narrative device and an instrument of the 'game's' deception, not an empowered 'Girl Boss.' She is functionally a part of the psychological torture aimed at the male lead. The core drama focuses on masculinity, paternal trauma, and male control.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative contains no overt LGBTQ+ themes, characters, or ideological discussions. The primary relationship focus is on the protagonist's trauma from his father's suicide and his eventual potential connection with Christine. Traditional male-female pairing is normative in the limited romantic context.

Anti-Theism3/10

The core theme deals with a secular 'dark night of the soul,' where the protagonist is stripped of everything and rebuilt psychologically, suggesting a secular path to redemption. It is not hostile toward traditional religion, but it posits an ambiguous, man-made moral system (CRS) that functions as a moral crucible without lecturing on objective truth or vilifying faith.