Since
winning a screenwriting Oscar along with pal Matt Damon, Ben Affleck has taken
a different path than his friend. While Damon has concentrated on tough complex
roles (Rounders, The Talented Mr. Ripley), Affleck has taken th opposite route
choosing more commercial projects (Armageddon, Forces of Nature). There's nothing
necessarily wrong with that, but maybe he's selling himself a bit short. After
all, he was fantastic in Chasing Amy as well as Good Will Hunting. He follows
his great turn in Dogma with the John Frankeneimer's actioneer Reindeer Games.
In
Reindeer Games, Affleck plays an ex convict who gets involved with a woman (beauty
Charlize Theron) the minute he gets out of jail. Unfortuantely, Theron's crazy
brother (played entertainingly by manic Gary Sinise) trys to bully him into helping
out on a casino heist.
The
film was written by the recently in demand Ehren Kruger who started off promisingly
with the high caliber paranoia thriller Arlington Road, then took a step back
with the disapointing Scream 3. This time, Kruger seems to be more interested
in plot twists than anything else. Things are never as they seem in this thriller
that sort of combines the mood of film noir with the flavor of a standard, in
your face action picture.
Frankenheimer
has been in these waters before. He made the controversial Manchurian Candidate
as well as Ronin. Wheras Ronin seemed to be much ado about nothing, Reindeer Games
seems to be much ado about way too much.
In
addition to the tedious plot twists, Affleck seems to be all wrong for this role.
I could never buy him as a criminal. And although the surprise climax is most
unexpected, it's also silly and completedly unbelievable. Reindeer Games tries
to be much too hip and clever for it's own good and that, ultimately, is it's
downfall.
