Game of Death movie review & film summary (2020)
I’d like to tell you that “Game of Death” picks up after a few tentative murders, but that’s not really true. There is some hyper-stylized sex early on, the kind that puts too much emphasis on orgiastic moans in order to establish a theme so wispy that the filmmakers barely touch it: young people are innocent because while they’re desensitized and immature, they’re also addicted to physical sensations, just like you and me. Okey doke, now what?
Eventually, two distinct groups form: the first party kills other innocent bystanders, while the second party stalks the first party. The killers get yelled at, and are told to “stop acting like we’re in a f**ing video game” and “This ain’t f**in’ Carmageddon”; sometimes they respond in kind by yelling things like “I would rather die” or “If we don’t kill somebody, it’s suicide.” Neither response is especially inspiring.
I’ve so far neglected to name the actors who star in “Game of Death,” as well as the characters that they play, because while the ensemble cast’s performances are mostly fine, their characters are unmemorable. Tom (Sam Earle) and Beth (Victoria Diamond) have sex; she sits on his face while wearing a bikini. Tyler (Erniel Baez) is a drug dealer and conspiracy theorist, though his paranoia is limited to random buzzwords that he carelessly strings together. Matt (Thomas Vallieres) and Ashley (Emelia Hellman) hesitate, so their personalities are expendable. There are two other key cast members, but their characters blow up early on, so I didn’t take notes about them. I suppose that’s a spoiler, for which I apologize.
“Game of Death” has already played at several film festivals, including SXSW and Sitges, but it feels more like a wannabe Troma movie: though it’s got less nudity and gore, it has the same grubby, unpolished DIY spirit as the short films that compete at the annual TromaDance Film Festival. Sadly, “Game of Death” doesn’t really have the surreal anger, or manic urgency of the best Troma movies. Kids get shot, sometimes explode, chase each other, and yell about how they don’t want to get shot or explode. They curse instead of having more sex. They kill some more. They’re young, dumb, and covered in blood. Maybe that’s enough for you; I don’t think it should be.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7s7vGnqmempWnwW%2BvzqZmq52mnrK4v46gmKadXaSzbrDEmquhZZ2kw6qxjKucr6GVrHpzfJFp