being a bit generous with my interpretation maybe but you could say the plot can be considered a metaphor for how people take advantage of others that are down on their luck and masquerade as a helping hand. don't think this is a great piece of thought provoking cinema though, its really a far fetched story of successful people finding ways to get their kicks by hunting human beings as sport. the rag tag cast of bad guys do a pretty good job of posing as businessmen and high profile professionals with murderous and maladjusted personalities. for a good portion of movie we focus on ice t, who appears to be portrayed as a hapless naive suicidal homeless man (although his personal troubles I feel are not explored enough for the audience to fully sympathies or understand him). his only main advantage is his seemingly fantastic physical ability. its only later on that we see a man who is a little more savvy and able to out smart his hunters. although for someone so keenly and skilfully able to manipulate the people out to get him he does make some incredibly bad errors. this film seems so inconsistent both in ideas and pace. most of the deaths end up seeming quite ludicrous mainly through the fault of how it shows us how each is being dispatched. for the most part there doesn't appear to be any drama, tension or humanity to their demises, they are simply offed strangely and treated as a number on the list of baddies. sure, sometimes you want a baddie to disappear without much celebration.but I just feel that this film doesn't really offer much in the department its supposed to be geared for, there is no plot twists or intelligent writing here just simple bog standard against all odds survival clichés. for the most part its forgettable aside from the noted childhood recollection in the cabin from busey. and hauer sometimes displays a good screen presence although this isn't hauer's best. john c mcginley did a pretty good job with getting into character.
Review of Surviving the Game
