DailyView: Day 237, Movie 326

Aggressively stupid.

Reindeer Games was an action/crime film starring Ben Affleck and Gary Sinise, and it is just terrible. Affleck played a convict in prison with a cell mate who has been having a pen pal with a woman named Ashley (Charlize Theron). When his cell mate was killed in prison, Affleck took his place upon being released from prison when he was going to meet Ashley. However, things took a turn when her crazy brother (Gary Sinise) arrived.

This film had so many stupid moments. The characters are utterly stupid. The conclusion was as unbelievable and about as far fetched as you can get.

How a film with three such stars like Affleck, Sinise and Theron could be so bad is beyond me. It is one of the worst big budget films that I have seen. None of it makes sense. Characters are doing things only so the plot will continue, but as soon as any of them would do something sensical, the plot falls apart.

Coincidences abound. Without them, none of this could even move forward. I almost said that none of this could even work (instead of move forward), but I can’t say that because none of this works. You can’t watch this and get involved in the story or the plot because you have to spend every second rolling your eyes.

How could the director of the original Manchurian Candidate, John Frankenheimer, direct some drivel like this? I guess this is more along the lines as the historically terrible Island of Dr. Moreau that he also directed. Reindeer Games was his final film directed and it put a final stain on a career.

Tis the season to be jolly… but there is no holiday cheer in Reindeer Games.