Gamer

Incoherent and interminable, Gamer transpires within a futuristic landscape where death-row convicts are used as avatars in a deadly video game – with the film primarily following one such inmate (Gerard Butler’s John Tillman) as he attempts to break free of the game’s confines. It’s a relatively intriguing premise that’s squandered virtually from the word go by filmmakers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, as the two men have infused the proceedings with an aggressively frenetic sensibility that prevents the viewer from connecting with anything or anybody on screen. The almost total lack of rudimentary cinematic conventions – ie character development, narrative momentum, etc – effectively exacerbates the movie’s various problems, with the nigh experimental vibe impressive in its audacity, admittedly, yet disastrous in terms of establishing (and sustaining) a coherent atmosphere. Neveldine and Taylor’s refusal to offer up substantive instances of character development subsequently wreaks havoc on one’s ongoing efforts at rooting for the protagonist, as Tillman remains a frustratingly one-dimensional figure whose motives and past (eg how’d he wind up on death row in the first place?) remain muddy at best – which is undoubtedly a shame, given that Butler turns in a typically strong and charismatic performance. And although the film does possess a handful of outwardly positive attributes – Michael C. Hall’s unapologetically over-the-top work as the villain is a clear highlight – Gamer‘s proliferation of hopelessly underwhelming fight sequences (most of which are rendered incomprehensible thanks to Neveldine and Taylor’s reliance on shaky camerawork and rapid-fire editing) cements its place as just another in a long line of underwhelming contemporary actioners.

* out of ****