Reindeer Games

A dime-a-dozen, action-suspense thriller hybrid that unravels as it goes along, Reindeer Games is more than just a bad title. It's a sorry string of surprises that don't surprise and a disappointing follow-up for director John Frankenheimer, who two years ago hit a genre high mark with the espionage-and-adrenaline knock-out, Ronin. Frankenheimer must have given everything he had on that picture, because this one--about a petty con (Ben Affleck) fresh out of the pokey, whose girlfriend gets him mixed up in a doomed casino robbery--is lacking even a hint of the savvy director's fingerprints on the finished product. Given the same script, any bozo with a couple of music videos under his or her belt would have turned out the exact same movie. Not recommended. (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 13, 2012—Lionsgate, 124 min., R, $14.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2000's Reindeer Games (The Director's Cut) features a disappointing transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director John Frankenheimer, alternate scenes (20 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: an unimpressive Blu-ray release of a bad film.]