Bullet Points: Elimination Game
I’m afraid we have been lied to. Hollywood has been trying for years to convince us that we’re not far from having reality shows depicting people being hunted by other people. The ‘Near Future’ looks very similar to what we should have seen at the turn of the century but it’s 2019 and I have yet to see a reality show with guys battling with chainsaws. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait much longer…
Synopsis: In the wake of a shocking civilian massacre in a foreign war zone, disgraced Navy SEAL Rick Tyler is sentenced to rot in a maximum security military prison until he is offered the opportunity to put his life on the line to win his freedom. A one-man force of nature, Tyler will have to take-on and take-down some of the world’s most ruthless killers in some of the world’s most brutal locations to win the game, obtain his freedom and find out why he was set up. The question is, can he accomplish all of this before Game On is Game Over?
- Killer of Men: Rick Tyler (Dominic Purcell) is the former Navy SEAL, now government assassin who gets himself set up and thrown into a gameshow where he’s being hunted by a random assortment of murderers. You know, a pretty wild Friday night in some parts. The opening of the movie shows us exactly what kind of damage he can do as he assassinates a guy with a massively awesome head shot.
- Turkey Shoot: This was not only the original title of the film but also the title of a 1982 film that was definitely reviewed on this site. For Elimination Game, it’s the name of the television show that features folks running around trying to kill each other. It’s always slightly funny to see movies like this where some television show has connections that allow them to get a high-profile criminal who could potentially earn their freedom.
- Welcome to the games: Rick finds himself in a Running Man situation where he’s being hunted by a plethora of killers who all have their own gimmick. There is the Marine sniper, the Asian chick with the sword, the white guy with the bow and arrows, and one fat guy with a scimitar. Do you really think these dudes stand a chance against Rick?
- Please be Running Man: I loved the fact that early on this movie is just a remake of The Running Man. I hate remakes but I love the formula of TRM and would welcome any movie that did the same kind of thing. Tyler starts using his SEAL skills to kill all these chumps and just when I started to find myself really having fun with this film it got really interested in being a totally different type of movie.
- The Setting: One of the big things about The Running Man that makes it so cool is the setting. It’s this ultra-80’s looking area that tests the racers in different ways. There might be ice in one area, and tunnels in the next. Elimination Game doesn’t do anything that cool. The initial hunt is in the Appalachian Mountains but other than that there is nothing special about them. It had the opportunity to have cool kills that fit into the setting but didn’t do it at all.
- The Killers: Many of them die in the first 5 minutes of being anywhere near Rick Tyler. He’s just that good. It doesn’t help that they all have stupid weapons. A sword? A scimitar? What the hell? One of the guys has a sniper rifle and that dude is running around with a scimitar? It’s difficult to look at this movie and not think about The Running Man. I’ve already mentioned it about 7 times, haven’t I?
- World War Africa: There is a real change in the movie when they incorporate Vida Bianca’s Jill Wilson into the picture. She is a pilot who saves Rick, helps Rick, and ends up banging Rick. It felt very unnecessary and forcefully shoved into the story. I like Wilson, too. She was good but it really felt like it was distracting to the overall pace of the film.
- More Death: Rick Tyler continues to kill the useless characters put up against him and in the end finally has dozens of people trying to kill him. It’s ridiculous. Too bad that most of them mean nothing in the grand scheme of the movie because they’ve already decided that there isn’t one single person to blame, but an entire Military Industrial Complex. Boring….
The Verdict: Elimination Game starts off really trying to emulate The Running Man but ends up trying to tell a whole different kind of story. In fact, the longer the movie went on the less steam it seemed to build. I felt like the first act was the best part. The moment they added random characters and attempted to clear the name of Tyler with some government conspiracy to start a war in a foreign country it got a bit much for me. Still, it’s not a bad movie and I would go so far as to say that it’s one of my favorite Dominic Purcell movies I’ve seen in some time.
