Film review: GAME

I sat down to watch Game with absolutely no idea what to expect. Described as a tense, Indie thriller, I was slightly surprised when the opening scenes switched from an early '90s rave to a shot of one of the most screen-worthy pheasants I’ve ever seen.

Game is the debut film for INVADA Films, a new Bristol-based project fronted by Portishead co-founder Geoff Barrows. Starring Marc Bessant and Jason Williamson (Sleaford Mods), Game portrays two characters who are, at face value, polar opposites, yet both encapsulate certain aspects of Britishness to an absolute tee.

After watching Williamson in Peaky Blinders and Landscapers, I had incredibly high hopes for Game, and I certainly was not left disappointed.

The plot shifts between a pained David (Marc Bessant), desperately attempting to break out of an overturned vehicle and glimpses of the party lifestyle that lead him to that very moment.

The more we see of David pre-road traffic accident, the more the plot is established in the selfish nature of the ecstasy fanatics of the 90s. Attempting to steal from his parents when they’re not home is another example of why we shouldn’t be rooting for David.

However, despite his flaws, I still found myself willing him out of his predicament. It isn’t until we’re halfway through the film that the largest plot point raises its surprisingly furry head just to be taken out as quickly as he entered his defining scene.

Throughout it all, David seems so out of place amongst the peaceful forest creatures that deep down, I knew the driver's seat of his GTI would not be his final resting place. Enter the poacher (Jason Williamson), who was not too thrilled to meet David.

Williamson really stood out playing the poacher, who has no time for townies, both before and after his run-in with some spiked scrumpy. The effortless portrayal of two contrasting British archetypes is the perfect social commentary for a film so deeply rooted in action rather than dialogue.

In fact, I believe the distinct lack of dialogue makes the tension between David and the Poacher become so much more apparent. As complete social opposites, they wouldn’t have much to discuss anyway, yet the words spoken by Williamson are spat with just enough venom for that point to be thoroughly illustrated.

To then immerse us so visually in a cacophony of drug-fuelled hallucinations alongside Ravel’s Bolero, cunningly distorted to mirror the chaos of the world's slowest pursuit, felt almost comical. It was incredibly unexpected yet somehow made perfect sense in a way, as it did bring the film to a pretty satisfying ending that only left me wondering what was next for David and why did that burger look so good?

Ross James absolutely blew me away with the cinematography as we drift between deer, insects, and intimately lit shots of the Bristol woodland. Definitely not a directional shift I was expecting as we watched David stealing drugs from an unconscious rave goer to then get behind the wheel of his car. At times, it felt as though the project was shifting into music video territory with such a steady stream of pleasing visuals, yet what fell in between these chilled-out shots left me glued to the screen.

As expected, the soundtrack is effortlessly satisfying with authentic '90s beats thumping across muddy landscapes just to be countered with the pained screams of a struggling David in the next scene.

Overall, I found Game to be a real winner. There’s a lot to enjoy, and whilst the start was a little slow for my liking, it quickly picked up the pace as we simultaneously uncovered more of David’s background and got to know his rural opponent, the poacher.

Head to Broadway Cinema this Monday 24 November for a post-screening Q&A with director John Minton, along with actors Jason Williamson and Marc Bessant

broadwaycinema.org.uk