I'll be damned if I know why this film was such a critical flop or why it was such a spectacular loss-maker at the box office, since although it would not win any prizes for overall originality, it is an entertaining enough watch and an honest viewer would not insist that he could see all of the twists a mile off -- I just don't believe that. The movie was dubbed "Deception" in the UK, an over-used film title, presumably because the original title was meaningless to a British audience (I suspect the phrase 'reindeer games' is not overly-laden with meaning elsewhere either).
When Ben Affleck's prison buddy is knifed just before the pair are due for release, Affleck assumes his pal's identity to have it away with the looker (Charlize Theron) who has been writing to him. Little does he realize that she is setting him up so that her 'brother', Gary Sinise, can pump him for inside information for a casino heist which he and his gang have planned; since he is not who he claims to be, he can only use his wits to escape being wiped out as a useless hanger-on. OK, maybe the plot verges on the ridiculous, but not as much as your run-of-the-mill Nicholas Cage movie (like the idiotic "Next" which I viewed tonight), and the twisty structure keeps the viewer hooked. Apart from his Jennifer Lopez period (of which "Gigli" was the nadir), I find Affleck an acceptable leading man --likeable even -- and Sinise makes an ace villain. And since the sinister Danny Trejo was one of his gang and since Dennis Farina played the venal casino manager, I happily went along for the ride. Five crooks in Santa Claus suits are always good for a bit of excitement. Maybe this film is not really a worthy late offering from director John Frankenheimer who can boast both the original "Manchurian Candidate" and "Seconds" in his filmography, but I didn't find it a complete wash-out on this my second viewing.
2 comments:
A rather enjoyable romp with solid acting from all - Affleck was better than he has
been in later films and Theron played the femme fatale excellently.
Another one will have to pick up...have not seen this one yet either. Huggies...TerryAnn
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