Most action films are based on a somewhat implausible concept. At some point during any given action movie, the audience will be asked to accept that the meek, mild-mannered accountant trapped in an elevator is really a former Green Beret demolitions specialist . . . or that a blonde stripper is fluent in six languages and can crack government computer codes . . . or that no matter how complicated a nuclear device may be, cutting the red wire will always successfully disarm such a weapon. It's part of the action movie territory. In most cases, the action movie rises above its implausibilities and moves forward into a realm of snappy one-liners and wicked, cool-looking violence that serves to entertain.
Unfortunately, `Reindeer Games' is not one of those action films. Without wandering over into spoiler territory . . . let's just say that `Reindeer Games' is crippled from the very start by a vastly implausible concept that is so utterly massive, it nearly boggles the human mind. This concept is not only wildly unbelievable (and stupid), but it unfortunately also happens to be the lynchpin of the film. Each and every decision made by each and every character in `Reindeer Games' is based in some way, shape, or form upon this fatally flawed concept. As such, it's hard to believe anything that the characters do in the film, simply because their decisions are based entirely on some seriously bad ideas. No normal or sane person would accept the things that all the characters in the movie so blindly accept at face value. . . so it's hard to even remotely connect with the events of the film. Even worse about halfway during `Reindeer Games', a glimmer of hope can be seen, as if some of the characters have some hidden motives that may help explain their idiotic acceptance of the main, flawed premise of the film . .. wrong. The first flawed premise, in a supposedly surprising twist, is replaced by an equally awful and flawed premise, making the film no better than it was before. Accepting flawed and often ludicrous ideas in an action movie is part of the action movie experience, but when the audience is not only asked to accept these hideously bad ideas throughout the entire film, but are bludgeoned over the head with them, as they most certainly are with `Reindeer Games' . . . it adds up to a bad, bad movie.
For those of you still vaguely interested in seeing `Reindeer Games', here's the supposed plot: Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck), a former car thief just released from prison, decides to impersonate his former cellmate Nick (James Frain) so that he can meet a beautiful woman named Ashley (Charlize Theron), whom Nick had been communicating with via a `prison pen pal' program. `Nick' and Ashley hit everything off just fine, until Ashley's brother Gabriel (Gary Sinise) shows up turns out he's a gun smuggler looking to pull a heist at a nearby casino that he knows `Nick' used to work at as a security guard. Unable to successfully convince either Gabriel or Ashley that he's not really `Nick', Rudy is forced to become part of a major robbery and has to find a way out for himself and his new love Ashley before big brother Gabriel decides to `take care' of `Nick' with his semi-automatic assault rifle . . . .
The cast of `Reindeer Games' is pretty good, but even an outstanding cast wouldn't have been able to save this heavily flawed film. Ben Affleck is very good as the reluctant hero Rudy; Gary Sinise is a lot of fun as the scenery-chewing Gabriel; and the lovely Charlize Theron, who seems to be sleepwalking through the first half of the film, actually seems to wake up and redeem herself with some nice stuff in the second half. The actors provide some neat little moments watch for Affleck's `Pecan Pie Diner' scene, it's excellent but none of these moments even come close to overcoming the film's very significant flaws. What might've been able to save the film from its flaws is some heavy-duty, jaw-dropping action . . . and that action never materializes. Not once. Oh sure, there's action, but it's very bland and generic, nothing that hasn't already been done in a thousand other action films. Even without the implausible concepts that mortally wound `Reindeer Games' from the very start . . . the film would've been average at best. Throw the amazingly dumb and implausible concepts on top of this average film, and what's left is a disappointing, frustrating, and bland excuse for an action film.
Decent characters, very weak action, and an incredibly stupid plot that's the best way to sum up `Reindeer Games'. This is the sort of action film that should be collecting a lot of dust on the shelf of your local video store. It provides one or two brief, decent moments . . . but that's it. Overall, not a very good action film at all. Grade: D+
Unfortunately, `Reindeer Games' is not one of those action films. Without wandering over into spoiler territory . . . let's just say that `Reindeer Games' is crippled from the very start by a vastly implausible concept that is so utterly massive, it nearly boggles the human mind. This concept is not only wildly unbelievable (and stupid), but it unfortunately also happens to be the lynchpin of the film. Each and every decision made by each and every character in `Reindeer Games' is based in some way, shape, or form upon this fatally flawed concept. As such, it's hard to believe anything that the characters do in the film, simply because their decisions are based entirely on some seriously bad ideas. No normal or sane person would accept the things that all the characters in the movie so blindly accept at face value. . . so it's hard to even remotely connect with the events of the film. Even worse about halfway during `Reindeer Games', a glimmer of hope can be seen, as if some of the characters have some hidden motives that may help explain their idiotic acceptance of the main, flawed premise of the film . .. wrong. The first flawed premise, in a supposedly surprising twist, is replaced by an equally awful and flawed premise, making the film no better than it was before. Accepting flawed and often ludicrous ideas in an action movie is part of the action movie experience, but when the audience is not only asked to accept these hideously bad ideas throughout the entire film, but are bludgeoned over the head with them, as they most certainly are with `Reindeer Games' . . . it adds up to a bad, bad movie.
For those of you still vaguely interested in seeing `Reindeer Games', here's the supposed plot: Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck), a former car thief just released from prison, decides to impersonate his former cellmate Nick (James Frain) so that he can meet a beautiful woman named Ashley (Charlize Theron), whom Nick had been communicating with via a `prison pen pal' program. `Nick' and Ashley hit everything off just fine, until Ashley's brother Gabriel (Gary Sinise) shows up turns out he's a gun smuggler looking to pull a heist at a nearby casino that he knows `Nick' used to work at as a security guard. Unable to successfully convince either Gabriel or Ashley that he's not really `Nick', Rudy is forced to become part of a major robbery and has to find a way out for himself and his new love Ashley before big brother Gabriel decides to `take care' of `Nick' with his semi-automatic assault rifle . . . .
The cast of `Reindeer Games' is pretty good, but even an outstanding cast wouldn't have been able to save this heavily flawed film. Ben Affleck is very good as the reluctant hero Rudy; Gary Sinise is a lot of fun as the scenery-chewing Gabriel; and the lovely Charlize Theron, who seems to be sleepwalking through the first half of the film, actually seems to wake up and redeem herself with some nice stuff in the second half. The actors provide some neat little moments watch for Affleck's `Pecan Pie Diner' scene, it's excellent but none of these moments even come close to overcoming the film's very significant flaws. What might've been able to save the film from its flaws is some heavy-duty, jaw-dropping action . . . and that action never materializes. Not once. Oh sure, there's action, but it's very bland and generic, nothing that hasn't already been done in a thousand other action films. Even without the implausible concepts that mortally wound `Reindeer Games' from the very start . . . the film would've been average at best. Throw the amazingly dumb and implausible concepts on top of this average film, and what's left is a disappointing, frustrating, and bland excuse for an action film.
Decent characters, very weak action, and an incredibly stupid plot that's the best way to sum up `Reindeer Games'. This is the sort of action film that should be collecting a lot of dust on the shelf of your local video store. It provides one or two brief, decent moments . . . but that's it. Overall, not a very good action film at all. Grade: D+