Purely Joyful Movie!

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Surviving The Game is a great action movie inspired by the short story The Most Dangerous Game. The film is very similar to John Woo/JCVD flick Hard Target that was released a bit before this. Hard Target has more to offer as far as non stop action craziness, but in my opinion Surviving The Game is a better film. Ice T does a good job as the lead in the movie. He plays Mason, a homeless man who lives on the streets of Seattle. He gets a break (or so he thinks) by getting a gig as a survival guide for a hunting party of rich guys on vacation in the wooded mountains of The American Northwest. It ends up being a game of survival by a bunch of sociopaths where Ice T must utelize his street survival skills in the woods as he now is hunted for sport. This group of affleunt hunters is lead by by Rutger Hauer in one of his finest and most sinister performances. His tight bro and wingman, Charles S Dutton is impressive as well and is also rounded out by outstanding performances from Gary Busy and John C McGinley. The pace is quick, the locations look great, story and character development is solid and packed with action and memorable, great performances.

There's a whole bushel of 'Most Dangerous Game' films out there, tweaked versions of the same motif in which human beings are hunted for sport, and often large sums of money as well. Surviving The Game is probably the most bombastic and excessive one (John Woo's Hard Target is the way to go if you want something slicker), but it's a hoot of a flick, a dingy, mean spirited exploitation piece with an eccentric cast and thrills right up to the last scene. Ice T stars here under a giant heap of dreadlocks, playing a grumpy homeless man who is approached by an alleged social worker (Charles S. Dutton, intense) and offered help in the form of some vague rehab program way out in the woods. Soon he's out in the woods at the remote retreat run by a sinister ex military Rutger Hauer, joined by other oddballs from all walks of life including F. Murray Abraham and a hopelessly coked out Gary Busey, who chews enough scenery that those giant teeth of his actually go to good use. This is no sabbatical though, as Ice soon finds out, and before he knows it he's scrambling through the wilderness for his life as Hauer & Co. pursue him with a giddy amount of heavy artillery. The film isn't interested in the morality or ethics of it's concept, it's here for a down n' dirty romp and not much else, as long as you're in popcorn mode you'll get a kick out of it. Hauer is intense as ever, with some inspired costume choices and that ever present half smirk that signals danger and violence aren't far off the horizon. Busey is certifiably, completely off his head, spouting monologues that weren't even in the script (Hauer's autobiography provides hilarious behind the scenes insight) and staring down everything that moves in true loosey Busey fashion. Throw in a manic John C. McGinley as well and you've got just about as much crazy as the film can handle. The combat hunting scenes really are impressive and thrilling, well staged stunts against a wilderness backdrop and raucous gunplay all round. An oddball of a flick, in the best way.

I fell in love with this film from the first time i saw it. I'm a massive Ice-T fan and it was the first film i'd ever seen him in. I thought he was great and i was rooting for him the whole way through the story. There are a few classic scenes e.g. Gary Busey telling Ice-T how he got his birthmark, and Ice-T has a few cheesy one-liners. All this makes the movie a cult classic for me. If you liked Hard Target, you'll love Surviving The Game. Okay, Ice-T is obviously not the greatest actor, but his performance here is actually very good. It's all meant to be a bit cheesy anyway! McGinlay, Dutton and especially Busey all did well with their reasonably small roles. Hauer is, as usual, brilliant. So if you like your guns, motorbikes, fights and trees... you're in luck. 10/10

"Surviving the Game" is a hunted in the woods action picture with numerous problems. The set up in Seattle, with Ice T being duped into becoming the hunted, takes way too long. Once in the remote wilderness, there are frequent talky moments that seem like, and are, nothing but celluloid filler. The movie becomes less and less logical as it goes along, and the conclusion is a total train wreck. A night instantly changing into day sequence on atv's is absolutely priceless. Some of the acting is acceptable, and character development is pretty good, but the film fails to impress, because eventually all logic flies out the window, and the ending is rushed and wretched. - MERK