Butler goes beyond the game
By: K.J. Stimpson
Issue date: 9/14/09 Section: Entertainment
At some point or another in our lives, we've heard the saying "life is a game." In Gerard Butler's new film "Gamer," the writers took that saying and made it a reality.
If you were lucky you were the player but if you weren't so lucky you may find yourself the one who is being played, this was the case for Butler's character Kable.
Kable is a convicted murderer given a chance at freedom if he survives 30 battles in a game called, "Slayers." There's a catch though, he isn't calling the shots, a 17-year-old boy named Simon (Logan Lerman) is, and with the gamer/character delay, it could me life or death for Kable.
It doesn't help Kable's cause when it is found out the creator of the game Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) doesn't want Kable to leave the game alive. So the battle wages on and you are left wondering will our fearless hero make it to the outside before the evil multi-billionaire creator has him killed, cue Marilyn Manson's cover of "Sweet Dreams," and then you have a winner.
Now I have always been an admirer of Butler's work, physically appealing, passionate eyes, and a capability to pull off the blood thirsty Spartan, "300," or the fun-loving, sweet husband, "P.S. I Love You," among other wide-ranging characters.
"Gamer," however, seemed to blend the Spartan and loving husband roles together, creating a man ready to fight for his freedom, and who is driven by the desire to be with his wife and daughter once again.
So, the character's motivations have been used before in films. You can't be completely original all the time. The twists of the film, however, did leave me on the edge of my seat from time to time, and it didn't help that the film ultimately creeped me out with its gamer reality concept.
The idea of someone controlling your every action, forcing you to do what they want at any given moment, NO THANK YOU, that is just a little too creepy for me. I'll keep my independence and avoid interactive games for a while.
If you're looking for a nice action thriller, with some decent acting, great camera angles, game like setting and a good-looking leading man, this film is for you.
I give it four out of five direct hit stars.
If you were lucky you were the player but if you weren't so lucky you may find yourself the one who is being played, this was the case for Butler's character Kable.
Kable is a convicted murderer given a chance at freedom if he survives 30 battles in a game called, "Slayers." There's a catch though, he isn't calling the shots, a 17-year-old boy named Simon (Logan Lerman) is, and with the gamer/character delay, it could me life or death for Kable.
It doesn't help Kable's cause when it is found out the creator of the game Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) doesn't want Kable to leave the game alive. So the battle wages on and you are left wondering will our fearless hero make it to the outside before the evil multi-billionaire creator has him killed, cue Marilyn Manson's cover of "Sweet Dreams," and then you have a winner.
Now I have always been an admirer of Butler's work, physically appealing, passionate eyes, and a capability to pull off the blood thirsty Spartan, "300," or the fun-loving, sweet husband, "P.S. I Love You," among other wide-ranging characters.
"Gamer," however, seemed to blend the Spartan and loving husband roles together, creating a man ready to fight for his freedom, and who is driven by the desire to be with his wife and daughter once again.
So, the character's motivations have been used before in films. You can't be completely original all the time. The twists of the film, however, did leave me on the edge of my seat from time to time, and it didn't help that the film ultimately creeped me out with its gamer reality concept.
The idea of someone controlling your every action, forcing you to do what they want at any given moment, NO THANK YOU, that is just a little too creepy for me. I'll keep my independence and avoid interactive games for a while.
If you're looking for a nice action thriller, with some decent acting, great camera angles, game like setting and a good-looking leading man, this film is for you.
I give it four out of five direct hit stars.