Surviving The Game

''Surviving the Game'' is a 1994 American action-adventure film directed by Ernest R. Dickerson and written by Eric Bernt. It is loosely based on the 1924 short story "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. The film stars Ice-T, Rutger Hauer, Charles S. Dutton, John C. McGinley, William McNamara, Gary Busey, and F. Murray Abraham.

''Surviving the Game'' was released in the United States on April 15, 1994, by New Line Cinema. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing $7.7 million against a production budget of $7.4 million (not including advertisement and distribution costs).

Plot

Jack Mason, a homeless man from Seattle, Washington, loses his only friends—his pet dog and fellow vagrant Hank—within a day of each other. The dejected Mason attempts to commit suicide but is saved by Walter Cole, a soup kitchen-worker. Cole refers him to businessman Thomas Burns, owner of Hell's Canyon Outfitters. Burns offers Mason a job as a hunting guide. Despite his misgivings, Mason accepts.

Flying to a remote cabin surrounded by acres of woods, Mason meets the rest of the hunting party, all of whom paid $50,000 for the privilege of being there. In addition to Burns and Cole, the party includes: Ted "Doc" Hawkins, a retired Central Intelligence Agent and psychiatrist who's also the founder of HCO; Texas oil magnate John Griffin; and wealthy father-and-son Wall Street executives Derek Wolfe Senior and Junior. On the first night, all the men chat over dinner. Mason receives cigarettes from Hawkins, who relays a story from his childhood...about how his father forced him to fight and kill his own dog, as a lesson in being a man.

The following morning, Mason is awakened with a gun in his face by Cole...who explains that the men are not hunting any animals, but rather Mason himself. Mason is given a head start with only the time it takes the others to eat breakfast. After fleeing the area, Mason gets an idea and turns back. The hunters finish their meal and go after him. The younger Wolfe is horrified at the thought of committing murder, but is pushed into it by his father. The hunters race off into the forest after Mason, who has surreptitiously returned to the cabin in search of weapons. Instead he finds a trophy room, filled with the preserved heads of victims from previous hunts.

Mason rigs the entire cabin as a boobytrap, using aviation fuel from a nearby shed. While he is doing this the hunters, realizing Mason has returned to the cabin, arrive. The elder Wolfe rushes into the cabin just as Mason ignites the fuel. Outside, Mason engages Hawkins in a fist fight, while the others are rescuing Derek Senior. Hawkins is knocked back into the cabin's trophy room just as the preserving agent explodes, killing him. Derek Junior saves his father, and spots Mason fleeing. The hunt for Mason—armed only with his wits—resumes. Using lit cigarettes, Mason lures Griffin away from the others and takes him hostage.

Over the night, Mason learns why Griffin is taking part in the hunt. Months before, his daughter was killed by a homeless man; ever since, Griffin has been venting his rage...which was triggered earlier when Mason joked about killing his own family. However, Mason meant they died in an apartment fire and he could not save them. Griffin realizes that Mason blames himself for the tragedy. Griffin is freed; returning to the group, he proclaims his decision to not continue the hunt. In response, Cole murders Griffin to prevent any legal conflicts. Mason sabotages Cole's ATV by sticking the ignition-wires into the gas-tank. The resulting explosion rips off most of Cole's lower body, mortally wounding him. Burns then mercy-kills Cole by applying pressure to Cole's jugulars with his fingers. Pursuing Mason, the younger Wolfe takes a fatal fall while crossing a ravine; his father vows revenge.

That night, the elder Wolfe fights Mason to the death; Mason emerges victorious...while Burns flees to the ruined cabin. Thinking he has killed Mason, Burns departs for the city. Days later, back in Seattle, Burns prepares to leave his current identity...thus escaping the legal fallout from the failed hunt. When Burns' car refuses to start, he continues his escape on foot. Suddenly Mason, who has also returned from the forest, engages him in a fight. At last, Mason gets the upper hand, commandeering Burns' gun. But instead of shooting him, Mason unloads the gun and discards it, then walks off. Burns recovers and reloads his gun, then prepares to pick Mason off...without noticing that Mason has jammed the barrel with wadded cigarettes. When its trigger is pulled, the gun backfires explosively and kills Burns instead.

Cast

* Ice-T as Jack Mason, a homeless man suffering from depression after the death of his wife and child.
* Rutger Hauer as Thomas Burns, a businessman that leads the hunting team.
* Charles S. Dutton as Walter Cole, Burns' partner who picks the "prey".
* Gary Busey as "Doc" Hawkins, a CIA psychologist and the founder of the hunting team.
* F. Murray Abraham as Derek Wolfe Sr., a Wall Street executive.
* John C. McGinley as John Griffin, an oil tycoon suffering from asthma and still grieving over the murder of his daughter.
* William McNamara as Derek Wolfe Jr., the son of Mr. Wolfe Sr. and the only one in the team oblivious to their game.
* Jeff Corey as Hank, another homeless man and Mason's best friend.

Filming locations

The film's city scenes are set in Seattle, Washington. However, in some shots, the skyline of Philadelphia is used. The outdoor scenes are supposed to take place across the Oregon border, in the U.S. Northwest. However, they were filmed in locations of Entiat and Wenatchee, Washington. Lake Wenatchee and Wenatchee National Forest are both featured in the film.

Reception

''Surviving the Game'' received mostly negative reviews. It currently holds a 35% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 4.6/10.

''Entertainment Weekly''s Owen Gleiberman called the film "''Cliffhanger'' with one third the firepower," saying that Dickerson does little to differentiate from other films in the genre. He did give praise to the cinematography and the efforts of the main cast, singling out Ice-T for having on-screen charisma but being a bit unconvincing as an action star, concluding that: "Still, for a few moments there, the movie gives Robert Bly just what he deserves." Marjorie Baumgarten of ''The Austin Chronicle'' was critical of the script's characters and overall message as being "out-of-whack and sophomoric" but gave credit to the actors portraying them and the production team for being a vital element in Dickerson's filmmaking, saying: "He has a definite flair for action pictures but the stunning contributions from cinematographer Bojan Bazelli add immeasurably to the movie." Gene Siskel gave it a thumbs-up review on his TV show, but while Roger Ebert thought it had a lot of good elements (especially Ice-T's performance) he could not recommend the film. Siskel beseeched Ebert to reconsider, noting Roger's longstanding championing of "B" movies, but Ebert said conclusively he wouldn't change his mind.

Box office

''Surviving the Game'' debuted at number 6 at the box office and grossed $7.7 million in the US.

See also

* List of American films of 1994

References

External links

*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Surviving The Game
1994 films
1994 action films
1994 drama films
1990s action drama films
1990s adventure films
1990s American films
1990s English-language films
American action drama films
American adventure films
American chase films
Films about homelessness
Films based on The Most Dangerous Game
Films directed by Ernest Dickerson
Films scored by Stewart Copeland
Films set in forests
Films set in Seattle
Films about death games
English-language action drama films
English-language adventure films