Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like The Game:
Blink Twice
Blink Twice wears its influences on its sleeve, but for a directorial debut like this for Zoë Kravitz, I thought it was pretty commendable. The industry is begging for a few more genre filmmakers capable of projects that are equally fun and thought-provoking, and Kravitz is able to switch between one and another on a dime. The performances help elevate the material, too, which inevitably pushes Blink Twice over the finish line.
Don’t Worry Darling
While it’s easy to point fingers and blame the film’s issues on just a few individuals, Don’t Worry Darling, at its core, is flawed. A meandering story can’t be saved by Florence Pugh and Harry Styles.
Blue Velvet
If for nothing else, Blue Velvet serves as a key to unlock the filmography of David Lynch, as if every subsequent movie would take bits and pieces from Blue Velvet and expand them into their own ideas and themes. It’s cryptic, morally ambiguous, and set in the heart of a deep underbelly within small town life. The film is beguiling as hell, and even features many of Lynch’s recurring actors and actresses, led by Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern. The movie isn’t as nearly as cut-and-dry as its noir elements suggest and its contemporaries often were, and it seems that public consensus has only further improved since Blue Velvet‘s release in 1986.
Panic Room
While Panic Room may seem like less ambitious in scale compared to some of Fincher’s other works, the movie stands as a testament to his versatility as a filmmaker. From the moment the Altman mother-daughter duo are thrust into the claustrophobic depths of their panic room, the film becomes a relentless, punishing exercise in suspense and dread.
Blood Simple
Nearly every time I revisit Blood Simple, I’m struck by how confident and precise Joel and Ethan Coen were right out of the gate. Released in 1984, Blood Simple is the Coen brothers’ debut film and still stands as one of the greatest first features ever made. A neo-noir steeped in paranoia, betrayal, and bloody miscommunication, it’s a film that knows exactly what it wants to be—lean, stylish, and razor-sharp.
Adaptation
Maybe Adaptation rewards multiple viewings, but on this watch, I found it less interesting than I expected. It’s undeniably one of the most metatextual films ever made, but it also feels like Kaufman disappearing into his own self-obsession. He wrote a movie entirely about himself, and I’m still not sure whether to applaud him for it or roll my eyes.
Leave the World Behind
Sam Esmail, renowned for his work on Mr. Robot, returns to feature filmmaking with Leave the World Behind, a star-studded drama delivered straight to Netflix that operates as an apocalyptic mystery thriller. Boasting a cast of A-listers like Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and the promising up-and-comer Myha’la, the film carries the weight of its cast’s reputation but, unfortunately, doesn’t quite live up to expectations.
The Killer
The Killer is nothing short of a triumph for David Fincher and a treat for fans of his filmography. It may be the most Fincherian movie ever made, but far from devolving, it solidifies his mastery of the medium. A calm Michael Fassbender performance helps seal The Killer as on of the best movies of 2023.
Hypnotic
At least Hypnotic mostly understands its role as a B-side psychological thriller. It’s certainly not on the same scale as some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, and it relishes in its audacious premise and tries to have fun in the margins. If a more committed Ben Affleck showed up, and the script knew when to hit the brakes, there may have been a better movie here at play. Instead, Hypnotic lands with a quiet thud and leaves without a trace.
Bug
William Friedkin’s Bug is a late-period jolt from a filmmaker who could still wring panic from tight spaces. After The French Connection, The Exorcist, Sorcerer, and Cruising, he returned to a stage play and made it feel claustrophobic and alive. Working from Tracy Letts’ script, Friedkin turns a shabby Oklahoma motel room into a pressure cooker where loneliness, addiction, and conspiracy feed off each other until reality splits.
READ MORE: The Game (1997)
