The Game

Deceptive advertising is punishable, but it seems that the comparison to the top-notch spy movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy works for the genre's fans. Perhaps it is because only a handful of users reviewed it. Compared to Alfredson's film, the series comes across as a cheap imitation of luxury handbags at a Vietnamese market. In my eyes, practically nothing works, starting with the casting, because I would believe more in Laurence Kinlan as a snobbish British dandy than an elite spy, through the crazy overdone complexity, to the absurdly overblown ending that would fit better in a comic full of conspiracy theories. It could be said that The Game tries to do the same thing with a serious face as the action pulp film Salt did. But Salt operates in a genre where the cheapness of the script doesn't hurt as much. Even within the realm of entertaining fiction, it is necessary to ensure that the whole thing convincingly reflects what it aims for, and in that, The Game fatally fails. There are so many crucial twists that it feels like an unintended parody. Much better has been accomplished by the creators of the series The Americans, who created an entertaining spy game. That series is not based on real life either but it feels more credible and has more believable characters. Overall impression: 25%. (16/07/2016)