Consumer Recreation Services (CRS)
In The Game wealthy executive Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) receives an unexpected birthday present from his brother Conrad: an enigmatic game hosted by Consumer Recreation Services (cRs). Jim Feingold, Nicholas’s contact at CRS, explains to him, “It’s a game . . . specifically tailored for each participant. Think of it as a great vacation, except you don’t come to it, it comes to you.” As the game unfolds, Nicholas fears that CRS is conspiring to steal his fortune, which would necessitate his murder as well.
show more
Nicholas Van Orton is a wealthy investment banker, but his success has come at a cost. He is estranged from both his ex-wife and his only brother, Conrad. On his own 48th birthday, Conrad presents Nicholas with an unusual gift, a voucher for a “game” offered by a company called Consumer Recreation Services. Conrad promises that it will change Nick’s life.
Nicholas has doubts about CRS, but he meets club members who enjoyed the game. He goes to CRS’s offices to apply and is irritated by the lengthy and time-consuming series of psychological and physical examinations required. Not long after signing up things soon get bizarre and the line between the game and reality begins to blur. Stripped of financial resources and convinced that he can trust no one, Nicholas begins to wonder if CRS is a front for a more covert operation, and if the game is in fact an attempt to steal his fortune and leave him for dead.
As Douglas is drawn deeper into the game, he meets a mysterious blonde named Christine who, rapidly shifts back and forth between trusted friend and suspicious conspirator. Nicholas contacts the police to investigate CRS, but they find the offices abandoned.
Exciting plot twists ensue: Nicholas narrowly escapes death when his taxi plunges into the San Francisco Bay, and he later eludes a hailstorm of bullets.
Immediately before the game ends, Nicholas, believing he has accidentally killed Conrad, attempts to commit suicide by plunging off the CRS building, only to survive the fall, thanks to CRS’s careful placement of safety glass and air cushions.
This “game,” and The Game, concludes as Nicholas learns that the whole traumatic affair and its many nearly fatal moments were indeed designed for his pleasure as well as for his enlightenment. Reformed thoroughly and redeemed emotionally, Nicholas thanks Conrad for this harrowing experience by splitting CRS’S eye-raising invoice for its terrifying services.
show less