WarGames

Directed by John Badham, WarGames follows Matthew Broderick’s David as he inadvertently finds a back door into a military central computer and almost triggers World War III. Filmmaker Badham, working from a script by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes, does a superb job of immediately grabbing the viewer’s interest and attention, as WarGames kicks off with an exciting sequence, detailing a failed test involving a pair of officers (played by Michael Madsen and John Spencer!), that paves the way for a mostly gripping midsection – with the engaging atmosphere undoubtedly heightened by Broderick’s personable, sympathetic turn as the increasingly beleaguered central character. (Dabney Coleman and Ally Sheedy, respectively cast as David’s military foil and love interest, provide able support on the sidelines.) There’s little doubt, certainly, that the picture benefits substantially from Badham’s top-notch handling of its myriad of suspense-oriented set-pieces, and although it’s hard to deny that the movie’s second half contains a small assortment of lulls (ie 114 minutes is, ultimately, perhaps more than this storyline can comfortably bear), WarGames progresses into a fairly captivating third act that ensures the whole thing ends on an exceedingly positive note – which confirms its place as yet another better-than-average thriller from a top-notch, underappreciated filmmaker.

*** out of ****