[Quick Summary: A lonely rich man is lured into a game which may or may not be real.]
I can totally see why David Fincher wanted to direct this film, since it's a story built on suspense and extremes.
I also thought it was an exploration of baiting a man who has everything.
How do you keep him motivated? Curiosity. String out answers to up suspense.
This often requires a bit of setup, as we will see in the scene below:
- Prior to this scene, Schuyler has visited a mysterious company called CRS at the urging of a friend because "CRS will solve his problems."
- Schuyler goes for a physical exam.
- Schuyler has not heard back, and now the baiters stoke Schuyler's curiosity with rejection:
ex. INT. SCHUYLER'S OFFICE - DAY
...Schuyler sits behind the desk and tilts back in his leather chair, thinking. He flips through his Rolodex, finds a number and dials it on his speakerphone. He gets a MALE VOICE this time:
GARY (filter): CRS, this is Gary speaking.
SCHUYLER: Yes, hello Gary, this is Schuyler Van Orton...I came in a few weeks ago...I'm going to be otu of town briefly and, I was wondering when, um, your service was supposed to start --
GARY (filter) (after a beat): Yes...I have you here on the computer...I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Van Orton, but apparently your application was rejected...
SCHUYLER: Really? But...forget it, thanks.
He hangs up, looks out the window with a disappointed expression.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Don't be fooled - this script might seem plot driven but is actually 100% character driven.
I liked that the writers knew Schuyler so well that they knew what and how to bait him to expose his flaws which give him dimension and an arc.
The Game (1997)(1/7/92 with revisions)
by John Brancato and Michael Ferris
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