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The film is about a car thief named Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck). His best friend, Nick, who has a pen pal named he plans on meeting after he's released-which is also the same day Rudy will be let out-is killed during a food fight. Rudy, in a very tough decision, decides to pretend he's Nick and meets the beautiful Ashley, Nick's pen pal. At first, everything seems to be going right for him for the first time, until Ashley's brother Gabriel arrives and demands Rudy, whom he thinks is Nick, to help him and his band of cronies rob a casino since Nick used to work as a security guard there. Now, Rudy has to try to pretend he's Nick and convince Gabriel he knows how to get in the casino.
Reindeer Games is an exhilarating thriller, with plenty of action and humor. There are some exciting moments and the film is very suspenseful. Affleck's initial guise as Nick is quite funny, along with the moments thoughout the film that he has to convince Sinise he's who he says he is, be that Rudy Duncan or Nick Cassidy.
The film features Ben Affleck in a great performance as the hero who we all root for. Gary Sinise chews the scenery as the villain and makes up for the travesty that was Snake Eyes though he still has to do another work to atone for Mission to Mars (he should have also had the lieutenant Dan look in Mission, at least that would have solidified that film's camp value, but no, the Lt. Dan look had to go to Don Cheadle). Charlize Theron is fairly good as the love interest for Affleck.
This is one of those films that really keeps you guessing, with plot twists that are surprising, especially a big twist at the end that nobody seemed to have ever been able to have guessed correctly. You can never really tell what's going to happen next, or who's going to come out on top in the end. Will Affleck get out of the whole situation alive? Can he keep pretending he's somebody he's not? And what is the twist in the finale? Watch the film and find out.
"Reindeer Games" is just about the most unremarkable, low-stakes thriller you could ever expect to see, featuring all the obvious twists, all the obvious turns, and set in locations and in pursuit of prizes that do not exactly get the viewer buzzing with excitement. What makes the film work, in its own modest way, are the director and the cast.
Frankenheimer is covering old territory here, but it is like watching a veteran baseball player at the plate or in the field - you've seen it a thousand times before but it is still fun to watch. Frankenheimer knows how to edit his films just right, and he always gets a kinky, dark edge out of all his scripts. "Reindeer Games" is no exception, and one of the DVD bonus features regarding differences between the film and this director's cut really lays out why Frankenheimer should be allowed to present the material as he sees fit. The film has just enough jarring moments that, even though you've seen the typical twists and betrayals before, Frankenheimer keeps it compelling and interesting.
The cast, too, rises above the pedestrian heist plot, tackling the film enthusiastically. The movie does not ask them to do too much, so they have fun with what they have. Ben Affleck goes into smartmouth mode, familiar territory, but puts it to amusing use as a criminal roped into doing a job he wants no part of. One of the more amusing repeat gags involves his quest for some pecan pie, either a subtle nod or lift of Bruce Willis' cappucino quest in "Hudson Hawk". Charlize Theron is alternating sweet and petulent as his would-be girlfriend. Gary Sinise, Clarence Williams, and Danny Trejo are good, menacing fun as the heavies. Perhaps the biggest fun is Dennis Farina hamming it up as the casino manager who brings Vegas-style class by operating a bar that offers both Coke and Pepsi.
A film like "Reindeer Games" moves along quickly. It has to or the inertia will allow the viewer to realize just how silly the film is. Frankenheimer keeps the film busy enough to keep the viewer curious and engaged, while the cast does a good job of providing enough quirks and quality performances so that the film isn't forgotten two seconds after the credits start rolling. "Reindeer Games" is not deep, ambitious, or original, but it is a comfortable and quality cover of heist films past.
