Cheap Reindeer Games (Video) (Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron) (John Frankenheimer) Price

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Customer Reviews of Reindeer Games

Fun action/comedy with twists, turns, and thrills
Reindeer Games is a pleasant surprise, a fun thriller that features some good action sequences, suspense, and shock plot twists. Of course, Ehren Kruger's script doesn't always make a whole lot of sense (as with his other two twist-filled thrillers Arlington Road and Scream 3). However, with John Frankenheimer's stylish direction and charismatic acting from the cast Reindeer Games never fails to entertain and sustain interest.

The film begins with the sight of five dead bloody and burnt santas in the snow, then skips to 6 days before to a prison and introduces 2 inmates, Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck) and Nick Cassidy (James Frain). Rudy and Nick are cellmates and good friends and both are going to be released on the same day. Rudy, in for grand theft auto, just wants to start his life over and spend time with his parents. Nick has plans to meet with his penpal, a beautiful woman named Ashley, as soon as he's released, and hopes to start a relationship. However, Nick is killed in a fight in the cafeteria.

On the day he is released, Rudy, at the last moment, decides to pose as Nick and meets Ashley (Charlize Theron) in front of the prison. They have a conversation and are soon going at it in a motel room. It's not long, though, when Rudy discovers that Ashley has a brother named Gabriel who read her letters, and has plans for Rudy. It seems Nick previously worked as a security guard in a casino and Gabriel wants Rudy to help them rob it. Problem is, Rudy has very little knowledge of the casino and has to continue to pretend being Nick to stay alive long enough to get out of the mess.

Reindeer Games is surprisingly suspenseful the whole way through. There wasn't a single lag in the pace which is more than can be said for most of the recent thrillers. The film sports some good chases and action sequences; the casino heist is particulary the film's highlight action scene and it delivers the expected mayhem and tension. John Frankenheimer proves he can still deliver the goods.

Surprisingly, Reindeer Games is also quite humorous, and not in an unintentional manner, either. There were plenty of laughs and this widened my appeal to the film.

Acting is all around solid. Ben Affleck is very likeable as the hero. He delivers a fine performance and proves himself capable in an action role. While this film's lack of box office success might not catapult him to an action star, I can still see him playing more physical roles. Gary Sinise is fun to watch as the villain, though he better beware or he'll be typecast as these sort of characters. He's far too talented an actor to play the bad guy and though Mission to Mars wasn't exactly a great film, he at least strayed away from playing the villain in that film. I feel somewhat indifferent to Charlize Theron. She's a fairly decent actress, though I don't find her to be as beautiful as so many people say. That aside, she proves herself all right in extending her range with this film.

Of course, with Ehren Kruger you should expect some plot twists. The big one at the end is the real shocker. It's no doubt surprising though some aspects of the twist won't hold up completely under close scrutiny.

Reindeer Games is good, fast-paced and fun entertainment. It's suspenseful, tense, and is worth renting. So long as you're expecting an action film with large doses of humor and some plot twists you shouldn't be disappointed.

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Roller Coaster Ride
Despite the film's flaws, I found it visually stunning. The opening sequence with the dead Santa Clauses from an aerial view is orignial; and the film then rewinds in flashback. The snow-filled scenes of December are well-shot. Ben Affleck as Rudy Duncan is a well scrubbed prisoner who seems neither worldly nor criminal. When he tells Ashley, "I had better sex in prison," one sees neither the experience nor the emotional scars. I saw the film in theatrical release and was firmly convinced that the movie starred Ashley Judd. I was about 45 minutes into the picture when I said to my wife, "That's not Ashley Judd; that's the woman from 'Sweet November.'" Charlize Theron is beautiful. Her ability to deceive only comes clear as the plot unfolds; we don't really sense the a deep mysterious layer; so it doesn't all hang together, for me. But I loved the moment when Rudy is on his knees in the snow, about to be shot, and he tells her how Nick (prison mate) loved her. She looks at him knowingly and says something like, "Who wouldn't?" It's at that moment that we can hate her. The problem, of course, is who do we like? James Frain as Nick is sensitive and seems also out-of-place in the prison, plus hard to believe in the ending. It was nice to see Mod Squad's tv show Clarence Williams III as a bank robber. Gary Sinise was good as the bumbling villain. Dennis Farina as Jack Bangs the casino owner has great moments laying bloodied on the table keeps repeating, "I can't go back to Vegas." The fact that he's been beaten, laying on a table at gunpoint, and still worried about his job security is humorous at an unlikely moment. Ehren Kruger's script is so full of plot twists and turns that it is like a roller coaster ride in that you're never sure what's coming next; however, the roller coaster does seem to get off track a bit. While not classic, this is visually well shot with great pacing. Enjoy!

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SUPERstupid.
This is one of the worst films of its time. I cannot believe Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, and Charlize Theron have this stinker on their resumes.... it must be an embarrassment for all three of them. The plot is completely implausible from the word go, Affleck's character has about a billion things he could do to escape that we're supposed to believe just never cross his mind, the plot twists are NOT clever (just stupid), there are gun mistakes in the film (guy firing with Uzi, the scene cuts away from him for a second, then cuts back to him and now he has a Mac-10, crap like that), and if you actually make it all the way to the end of the film (I wish to God I hadn't), the ending is so stupid you're like "I cannot believe I suffered through this entire piece of crap for THAT." Skip it...... trust me.