"Fair Game" or "Mamba", which is the less imaginative but apparently official title for this film, actually is the simplified and much more straightforward version of the British early 80's thriller "Venom" starring Oliver Reed and Klaus Kinski. That movie revolves on petty criminals facing the threat of a venomous black mamba snake whilst trying to take hostage the sickly son of a rich family. It's a fun but incredibly far-fetched (the mamba ended up in the house through an "accidental" wrong delivery) film and the script is over-ambitious for its own good, with police forces surrounding the house and virulent intrigues between the kidnappers mutually, whereas basically it should have just been a claustrophobic lethal-snake-on-the-loose suspense movie. Mario Orfini, writer/director of "Fair Game" and of course an Italian, obviously saw "Venom" as well and immediately realized that only the escaped snake formula is more than enough to attract horror audiences. The rudimentary plot of "Fair Game" is reasonably effective just because of its simplicity, and it's merely the details and character drawings that cause major disbelief. Gregg Henry ("Body Double", "Slither") is almost too good as the frustrated and seriously deranged ex-husband who can't process the separation from the joyous artist/play-dough sculptor Eva. What do you expect? If you compare their personalities, they must have formed a terrible mismatch of a couple since day one! So, what's a lunatic video game designer to do? He buys a mamba, kills the seller, injects the animal with hormones to make her even deadlier and finally lets it loose in Eva's hermetically sealed flat without windows. She faces a virulent battle with the slithering dose of venom whilst the psychopath watches everything in his car via a computer-designed game. "Fair Game" naturally is a highly improbable thriller, of course, but the approaching snake sequences are undeniably suspenseful. The score and sound-effects, although inspired by the legendary "Psycho" shower sequence noises, are terrific and the film contains approximately 30 ingenious POV shots, even though admittedly they serve more to provide glorious shots of Trudie Styler's bottom. Speaking of which, Mrs. Sting proves herself to be a very untalented actress but, in all fairness, performing all alone with just a not-so-talkative animal in the room isn't exactly the most grateful role you can get. The script is full of ludicrous little details and the finale is extremely forced and implausible. Interesting little detail for horror fanatics surely is that Bill Moseley forms the entire supportive cast all by himself in his second 'important' role after starring in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II".
13 Reviews
a good idea ruined by a ludicrous lead female character.
kclipper6 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
A clever and intriguing concept is poorly handled in this 'killer snake' thriller starring Trudy Styler (wife of pop icon, 'Sting'). This starts off brilliantly as twisted boyfriend and video game engineer, Greg Henry purchases a deadly black mamba off of nomad snake-handler (played well as usual by Bill Moseley in an all-to-brief appearance). This opening scene does a tremendous job of displaying the icy remorselessness of Henry's character as he disposes of Moseley just before unleashing the snake into the giant loft apartment of his artistic ex-girlfriend, Styler in order to play a sick revenge game. This takes a turn for the worst as Styler acts in the most ridiculous of ways. Instead of avoiding the mamba, she taunts it by yelling at it, throwing matches at it...etc. She sinks an all time low in her eccentric display of stupidity when she dumps powder all over the floor and gets on top of the refrigerator, pointlessly attacking the snake with eggs and shouting "filthy, filthy!", meanwhile, Henry watches on his computer in a near-by, high-tech stakeout. Its a decent premise wasted by one of the most annoyingly absurd characters in screen history. Styler eventually redeems herself in a clever and final confrontation with Henry, but by then, it loses interest, and the camera prowling about the floors of the apartment imitating the snake looks unrealistic. Its worth seeing for the good opening and Greg Henry as the cold and abhorrent villain, but Styler's character's attempted self-redeeming woman is just so laughable.
Fair Game
Scarecrow-8822 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A narcissistic intellectual video game designer doesn't appreciate the fact that his "weakling" ex-girlfriend has moved on with her life, trying to earn a living from her putty sculptures(?!)enjoying the fruits of her labor in a posh vast loft, blessed with limited windows, highly secure. Gene(Gregg Henry)decides to put an end to this by "inheriting" a deadly venomous black mamba, required by a snake handler(Bill Moseley, in one his many grubby roles..the actor has a whole trunk load of these parasites he can pluck for use)he dupes and murders. Gene's plan at eliminating an "ungrateful" inferior girlfriend is to seal Eva's(Trudie Styler, and hour or so of running time spent with her is enough for any wary viewer to endure)home, locking her inside with the Mamba snake, with a special tracking device on both of them, watching their "progress" from his car. Gene injects more hormones in the snake supposedly giving it a limited life expectancy providing the Mamba with "extra motivation" for attacking anyone in it's proximity..Gene even has a timer set on his computer as to when the snake would die if it couldn't release it's venom in time. So the main meat of the film is Eva by herself practicing meditation and yoga, talking and joking to herself, making funny expressions to herself in the mirror, and generally goofing off until she realizes the snake is in there with her..and the fact that her loft is locked tight with no exit it seems. The film often cuts to Gene in his vehicle, "sweating" it out as the counter clicks away and Eva often evades the deadly fangs of the Mamba.
I would recommend seeing this film for those interested in Gregg Henry. The DVD release of "Just Before Dawn", and films like "Slither", "Payback" and "Body Double" feature his talents. But, I think his work here is exceptional. I think the point-of-view shots of the snake slithering around in the loft are quite reminiscent to those snake-cameras used by thieves attempting to find passages through difficult security systems in hi-tech actioners. The director often uses this device probably because it's a lot easier, and a bit more realistic. On paper, this film could be a winner. It probably is if you find Trudie Styler interesting or entertaining, because, in just my opinion, the film hangs on her likability..she is in the film the most and it's her plight we must be concerned with. I found her pretty annoying so her plight didn't concern me, to be honest. I was more interested in Henry, because he created this air of pomposity and I've always been a fan of actors who could create a quiet menace, seething underneath this calm exterior. I like how the director often shoots him from below as if he were standing on a pedestal looking down on his prey. I say if you like Styler's performance and character, the film will work..if not, then you'll feel the same way I did. Really, the interesting premise on paper never quite materializes on screen although, as I've mentioned already, Henry's villain is quite memorable. To be honest, in a real movie, a character such as Styler's would've been mincemeat. The funniest scene would have to been when Eva stares down the mamba with a lit cigarette lighter.
I would recommend seeing this film for those interested in Gregg Henry. The DVD release of "Just Before Dawn", and films like "Slither", "Payback" and "Body Double" feature his talents. But, I think his work here is exceptional. I think the point-of-view shots of the snake slithering around in the loft are quite reminiscent to those snake-cameras used by thieves attempting to find passages through difficult security systems in hi-tech actioners. The director often uses this device probably because it's a lot easier, and a bit more realistic. On paper, this film could be a winner. It probably is if you find Trudie Styler interesting or entertaining, because, in just my opinion, the film hangs on her likability..she is in the film the most and it's her plight we must be concerned with. I found her pretty annoying so her plight didn't concern me, to be honest. I was more interested in Henry, because he created this air of pomposity and I've always been a fan of actors who could create a quiet menace, seething underneath this calm exterior. I like how the director often shoots him from below as if he were standing on a pedestal looking down on his prey. I say if you like Styler's performance and character, the film will work..if not, then you'll feel the same way I did. Really, the interesting premise on paper never quite materializes on screen although, as I've mentioned already, Henry's villain is quite memorable. To be honest, in a real movie, a character such as Styler's would've been mincemeat. The funniest scene would have to been when Eva stares down the mamba with a lit cigarette lighter.
Trudie Styler holds the film together?
gijane7125 March 2006
I don't know what movie the one reviewer saw, but it is clear from this that Ms. Styler is NO actress. Maybe the work she has done in other films is decent, but I have yet to see it or find the other films.
This one, on the other hand is awful: weak plot, weak characters, bad cinematography, and horrible dialogue. Not worth the price of the rental no matter HOW tempting the 99 cent rack may be....."Return of the Killer Tomatoes" was money better spent than this.
The gist of the story: Video game inventor takes revenge out on girlfriend who left him by trapping her in her loft/building/house with a deadly mamba.
Parts of this are so ridiculous that I find it difficult to type them: this guy (Greg Henry) injects the snake with it's own hormones to make it produce more venom. This apparently will make the snake more aggressive and therefore, more willing to hunt for a victim to drain the poison into......uh.....yeah, sure......what EVER! I guess the moron writing the script couldn't be bothered to pick up the "Idiot's guide to basic knowledge of herpetology" or even turn on the t.v. to catch a couple of Steve Irwin's misadventures into the snake world to know that this cannot happen.....but I digress. When Trudie's character does realize she has a cold blooded guest in the house, her methods of protecting herself look like slap-stick - and one need not look too deep to see that the homely Mrs. Sting seems a little TOO enthused about her self (i.e. - conceited - I understand that as an actor one must pose, preen and emote to the lens, but Jeez lady, get over yourself!).
Another factoid that is laughable in this disaster and poor excuse of a movie is the way she affords her rather spacious and expensive looking digs: she makes Play-Dough sculptures - that's right, boys and girls: PLAY-DOUGH SCULPTURES - for kids. And her work is anything but inspiring, let me tell ya'.
Her running around the loft/house/warehouse home of hers, running from the snake as if it were a machete wielding Jason has it's hilarious moments, all unintentional by the way, but the ending is a real screamer....check this out only when you hate yourself, but not enough to commit Hari-Kari.
This one, on the other hand is awful: weak plot, weak characters, bad cinematography, and horrible dialogue. Not worth the price of the rental no matter HOW tempting the 99 cent rack may be....."Return of the Killer Tomatoes" was money better spent than this.
The gist of the story: Video game inventor takes revenge out on girlfriend who left him by trapping her in her loft/building/house with a deadly mamba.
Parts of this are so ridiculous that I find it difficult to type them: this guy (Greg Henry) injects the snake with it's own hormones to make it produce more venom. This apparently will make the snake more aggressive and therefore, more willing to hunt for a victim to drain the poison into......uh.....yeah, sure......what EVER! I guess the moron writing the script couldn't be bothered to pick up the "Idiot's guide to basic knowledge of herpetology" or even turn on the t.v. to catch a couple of Steve Irwin's misadventures into the snake world to know that this cannot happen.....but I digress. When Trudie's character does realize she has a cold blooded guest in the house, her methods of protecting herself look like slap-stick - and one need not look too deep to see that the homely Mrs. Sting seems a little TOO enthused about her self (i.e. - conceited - I understand that as an actor one must pose, preen and emote to the lens, but Jeez lady, get over yourself!).
Another factoid that is laughable in this disaster and poor excuse of a movie is the way she affords her rather spacious and expensive looking digs: she makes Play-Dough sculptures - that's right, boys and girls: PLAY-DOUGH SCULPTURES - for kids. And her work is anything but inspiring, let me tell ya'.
Her running around the loft/house/warehouse home of hers, running from the snake as if it were a machete wielding Jason has it's hilarious moments, all unintentional by the way, but the ending is a real screamer....check this out only when you hate yourself, but not enough to commit Hari-Kari.
"When Play Time Turns To Prey Time."
tarbosh2200011 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Gene Campbell (Henry) buys a deadly black mamba snake and traps his former wife Eva (Styler) in her apartment with the snake. He sits outside in his car, monitoring both the snake and Eva on a computer tracking device. Will Eva escape? Man, this is one weird movie. The plot, the camera angles (including, you guessed it, "snake vision"), lighting and the strange dialogue all add up to one off-kilter experience. Speaking of dialogue, Henry is great in his role as the deranged electronics whiz who, feeling jilted by his former wife, decides shooting and stabbing her are so old-fashioned and having her get bitten by a poisonous snake is the wave of the future. He gets to say totally natural lines that people say to each other every day, such as: "You're so weak. So sweet, shy and impressionable. It was me, wasn't it? I suffocated you with my strength. Took you over, I corrupted you with my money and my power. You had to ditch me to defend the delicate little flower of your weakness. You can't imagine how much I despise you - I despise weaklings" ...and it goes on from there. The best part is, Henry pulls it off! He is such a great actor, you totally believe him as the nutjob who hates weakness. Did I mention he hates weakness? Of course, this begs the question, why did he hook up with quirky, artsy-type (She wears two different color socks) Eva in the first place? She must make a lot of money making play-doh sculptures of octopi to afford her gigantic, vast, windowless apartment. In fact, rather than just chop the snake's head off with a knife, she actually jogs laps around the place "to confuse it". She doesn't wear pants throughout most of the movie, even when putting on all her clothes to protect herself against the snake, the pants don't last very long. She also must talk to herself for about 90 percent of the running time. You'll wonder why Sting wanted to marry her.
It is established that Eva is an animal lover, so maybe it was out of pure diabolical evil that Gene wanted to use that against her and kill her with a snake. There is an animal theme throughout the movie, from Eva's shirt with a fish on it, to their names (Eva = Eve, i.e., Adam and Eve and the snake, and Gene = the genetic map of life), and her sculptures.
Also, music legend Giorgio Moroder not only did the music, but also co-produced the film. Clearly the man knows what to invest his money in.
When it came out on VHS in the U.S. on Vidmark, it was labeled as an "erotic thriller". Unless you have a snake fetish, this is a miscategorization. There are only three characters in the entire film, and one, Bill Moseley's character, only in the beginning as the snake salesman. Technically, there is also an uncredited actor as a delivery boy, but this primarily two-person (in two separate places, mostly) film almost could have been a play. Hey Broadway: "Fair Game": the musical? Eh? Eh? Bizarrely directed by Mario Orfini, "Fair Game" is an oddity.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
It is established that Eva is an animal lover, so maybe it was out of pure diabolical evil that Gene wanted to use that against her and kill her with a snake. There is an animal theme throughout the movie, from Eva's shirt with a fish on it, to their names (Eva = Eve, i.e., Adam and Eve and the snake, and Gene = the genetic map of life), and her sculptures.
Also, music legend Giorgio Moroder not only did the music, but also co-produced the film. Clearly the man knows what to invest his money in.
When it came out on VHS in the U.S. on Vidmark, it was labeled as an "erotic thriller". Unless you have a snake fetish, this is a miscategorization. There are only three characters in the entire film, and one, Bill Moseley's character, only in the beginning as the snake salesman. Technically, there is also an uncredited actor as a delivery boy, but this primarily two-person (in two separate places, mostly) film almost could have been a play. Hey Broadway: "Fair Game": the musical? Eh? Eh? Bizarrely directed by Mario Orfini, "Fair Game" is an oddity.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Decent, albeit somewhat exploitive thriller
dee.reid28 June 2008
(This has all the makings of a cheap exploitive thriller.)
"Mamba" ("Fair Game" in the United States) is a decent, albeit somewhat exploitive thriller about Gene (Gregg Henry), a deranged computer game designer who locks his ex-fiancé Eva (Trudie Styler) inside their apartment with a deadly Black Mamba snake.
Directed by Mario Orfini, he keeps a tight pace and strong sense of dread as Eva runs around her apartment trying to avoid certain death at the fangs of a lethal snake, all the while Gene watches the madness from a car parked down on the street. Styler really carries this film on her delicate shoulders, even remaining strong in some of the sillier haunted house/slasher-style moments. It does seem kind of strange that her apartment is devoid of windows (thus setting up the fun-house element for Gene's later entertainment).
One thing that does seem to bother me is how the camera does seem fixated on Styler during a few instances when she has to strip off her clothes. While the camera misses a few of the more explicit shots of her feminine features, you kind of get the idea that Orfini (and the audience) are still getting tantalized.
"Fair Game" gets a fair rating for at least keeping you watching.
4/10
"Mamba" ("Fair Game" in the United States) is a decent, albeit somewhat exploitive thriller about Gene (Gregg Henry), a deranged computer game designer who locks his ex-fiancé Eva (Trudie Styler) inside their apartment with a deadly Black Mamba snake.
Directed by Mario Orfini, he keeps a tight pace and strong sense of dread as Eva runs around her apartment trying to avoid certain death at the fangs of a lethal snake, all the while Gene watches the madness from a car parked down on the street. Styler really carries this film on her delicate shoulders, even remaining strong in some of the sillier haunted house/slasher-style moments. It does seem kind of strange that her apartment is devoid of windows (thus setting up the fun-house element for Gene's later entertainment).
One thing that does seem to bother me is how the camera does seem fixated on Styler during a few instances when she has to strip off her clothes. While the camera misses a few of the more explicit shots of her feminine features, you kind of get the idea that Orfini (and the audience) are still getting tantalized.
"Fair Game" gets a fair rating for at least keeping you watching.
4/10
There's not much to 'Mamba'
lost-in-limbo24 February 2019
It's a concise, yet mildly exciting close quarters psychological/deadly animal-on-the-loose thriller that puts to good use its short running time. After the humid, nihilistic set-up involving Bill Moseley (snake handler) and a domineering Gregg Henry in seamy, heartless mode collecting/and testing out his newly acquired mamba. There it moves onto young headstrong sculptress Eva (performed with ticker by Trudie Styler) soon to be ex-wife to Gene (Gregg Henry). She wants to break away from his emotional abuse, but he wants to finish things off on his terms... revenge. His plan is to seal off her windowless loft and unknowingly to her release a steroid-injected mamba, as he sits outside in his car getting his rocks off watching the mamba hunt its prey on a tracking device from his lap-top monitor. The lengths this vindictive man would go to can be seen as a power trip showing that his strike is just as lethal, if not deadlier than the snake.
A very elaborate, although not foolproof get-up... I guess cheaper, and less humiliating than a divorce? Styler's character escapes a trapped relationship thinking that it's all behind her, but finds herself literally caught in another enclosed battle. This time survival against a killer she can't see, let alone catch without thinking of the life threatening dangers. In a way it's a waiting game as she spends a good amount of time unaware of the threat, poking and prodding about, leading to set-piece after set-piece of close shave encounters. Plenty of POV shots, low angles, high angles and tracking shots. It's sleekly executed. An outstanding music score seperates itself from the norm giving out an uncanny jungle vibe with the squealing monkey sounds when the snake is on the move. Once she finds out she's not alone in the apartment is when it really clicks into gear. The fear, panic and alertness is amplified, as the snake could be lurking around every shadow and round every corner. One strike and you're done. The space seems to close in even more, claustrophobic suspense arises as she must fight back, not knowing there's a time limit to this madness. All she knows is that she's a target and there's no escaping it.
The idea is frightening, but I don't think the (stretched out) premise fully tapped into the situational suspense and adrenaline boost consistently enough. You just know how it's going to end, poetic justice is oh so sweet.
A very elaborate, although not foolproof get-up... I guess cheaper, and less humiliating than a divorce? Styler's character escapes a trapped relationship thinking that it's all behind her, but finds herself literally caught in another enclosed battle. This time survival against a killer she can't see, let alone catch without thinking of the life threatening dangers. In a way it's a waiting game as she spends a good amount of time unaware of the threat, poking and prodding about, leading to set-piece after set-piece of close shave encounters. Plenty of POV shots, low angles, high angles and tracking shots. It's sleekly executed. An outstanding music score seperates itself from the norm giving out an uncanny jungle vibe with the squealing monkey sounds when the snake is on the move. Once she finds out she's not alone in the apartment is when it really clicks into gear. The fear, panic and alertness is amplified, as the snake could be lurking around every shadow and round every corner. One strike and you're done. The space seems to close in even more, claustrophobic suspense arises as she must fight back, not knowing there's a time limit to this madness. All she knows is that she's a target and there's no escaping it.
The idea is frightening, but I don't think the (stretched out) premise fully tapped into the situational suspense and adrenaline boost consistently enough. You just know how it's going to end, poetic justice is oh so sweet.
Incoherent mess
Brennan-815 May 2002
This is a stunningly bad film, certainly the worst and most inept I've ever had the misfortune to sit through. The acting and direction are not even professional and the script makes no sense at all. It's hard to understand how the video was accepted for mass distribution, there really is no artistic merit at all.
Barely constitutes a horror film
slayrrr6666 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
"Fair Game" is a really weak and barely worthwhile horror film.
**SPOILERS**
Conducting a business deal, Gene Campbell, (Gregg Henry) purchases a deadly mamba snake from Frank, (Bill Moseley) a renown dealer of exotic and deadly snakes. Still upset over his divorce from Eva, (Trudie Styler) he pays her a visit to her apartment and uses it as an excuse to leave the snake behind. Trapping her inside and watching the proceedings from a computer nearby, she becomes aware of the creature's presence but realizes she's still trapped within the house. Forced to defend herself, she tries to stay alive as the snake stalks her within the spacious building.
The Good News: There wasn't much of anything to this one. The fact that there's a real snake to this one is a big plus, as those that are used to giant killer snakes will have been used to terrible CGI or barely realistic-looking prosthetics, and one where the creature is actual and real does draw some benefits to it. The house where it takes place is actually really nice, giving off a nice Gothic feel with it's spacious rooms, off-beat designs and intricate furniture all give it a unique look that serves well to make it really enjoyable and the perfect opportunity for something fun and enjoyable. The last big plus is that the final confrontation, which is the focal point of the whole film, deals with the snake stalking her through the house, and these are all full-on, tense and exciting scenes. From the bathroom confrontation to the scenes of the snake attacking in the living room, there's a lot to like about them. The fire scenes are just as good, and lend a little more believability to the film that, along with the real snake, make for a really fun scene. The extended length has it's benefits as well, as there's a lot to pack in while making it enjoyable, which this one does nicely. These here are the film's best points.
The Bad News: This one here is really problematic entry. The biggest one here is the fact that nothing of real excitement happens in here. The fact that the whole film comprises the chasing around the house is about it, the rest of the film does nothing of importance. It's not entirely exciting watching her walk around doing yoga or trying wacky means of fitting food into refrigerators, or even stuff like the constant phone calls or flipping around the TV aren't that interesting at all, and the stuff that goes on while the snake's stalking her isn't any better. Granted, it does last a while, but it still doesn't do much of real interest and the film, as a whole, is terribly dull. This is also shown in the film's incredible lack of blood, gore or anything else horror fans are accustomed to. There's three people who have screen-time over ten seconds, and with a snake in the film, the deaths are guaranteed not to be too graphic at all, which is pretty common anyways. These here are the film's weak points.
The Final Verdict: With a few good points about it and not a whole lot really wrong with it, this one ends up being incredibly underwhelming. If it must be seen, then go ahead and do so, but there's so much more worthwhile out there that it's hard to see any real point in giving in to this mediocre entry.
Rated R: Adult Language, Violence and Brief Nudity
**SPOILERS**
Conducting a business deal, Gene Campbell, (Gregg Henry) purchases a deadly mamba snake from Frank, (Bill Moseley) a renown dealer of exotic and deadly snakes. Still upset over his divorce from Eva, (Trudie Styler) he pays her a visit to her apartment and uses it as an excuse to leave the snake behind. Trapping her inside and watching the proceedings from a computer nearby, she becomes aware of the creature's presence but realizes she's still trapped within the house. Forced to defend herself, she tries to stay alive as the snake stalks her within the spacious building.
The Good News: There wasn't much of anything to this one. The fact that there's a real snake to this one is a big plus, as those that are used to giant killer snakes will have been used to terrible CGI or barely realistic-looking prosthetics, and one where the creature is actual and real does draw some benefits to it. The house where it takes place is actually really nice, giving off a nice Gothic feel with it's spacious rooms, off-beat designs and intricate furniture all give it a unique look that serves well to make it really enjoyable and the perfect opportunity for something fun and enjoyable. The last big plus is that the final confrontation, which is the focal point of the whole film, deals with the snake stalking her through the house, and these are all full-on, tense and exciting scenes. From the bathroom confrontation to the scenes of the snake attacking in the living room, there's a lot to like about them. The fire scenes are just as good, and lend a little more believability to the film that, along with the real snake, make for a really fun scene. The extended length has it's benefits as well, as there's a lot to pack in while making it enjoyable, which this one does nicely. These here are the film's best points.
The Bad News: This one here is really problematic entry. The biggest one here is the fact that nothing of real excitement happens in here. The fact that the whole film comprises the chasing around the house is about it, the rest of the film does nothing of importance. It's not entirely exciting watching her walk around doing yoga or trying wacky means of fitting food into refrigerators, or even stuff like the constant phone calls or flipping around the TV aren't that interesting at all, and the stuff that goes on while the snake's stalking her isn't any better. Granted, it does last a while, but it still doesn't do much of real interest and the film, as a whole, is terribly dull. This is also shown in the film's incredible lack of blood, gore or anything else horror fans are accustomed to. There's three people who have screen-time over ten seconds, and with a snake in the film, the deaths are guaranteed not to be too graphic at all, which is pretty common anyways. These here are the film's weak points.
The Final Verdict: With a few good points about it and not a whole lot really wrong with it, this one ends up being incredibly underwhelming. If it must be seen, then go ahead and do so, but there's so much more worthwhile out there that it's hard to see any real point in giving in to this mediocre entry.
Rated R: Adult Language, Violence and Brief Nudity
All's fair in love and murder
Tanuccoon2 August 2011
All's fair in love and murder, apparently, as a man attempts to kill his ex-wife through use of a modified exotic, poisonous snake. The man, some computer bigwig, plants a tracker on both the snake and the woman so he can view their proximity to each other while he waits outside in his car. To ensure that his wife not escape, he jams her door (apparently she only has one?) and taps into her phone which allows him to periodically call in to make sure she's still alive.
Fair Game probably has one of the most interesting premises I've seen in a while but, due to only having one real potential victim, it gets bogged down by a ton of false scares. You keep seeing the snake seemingly draw near or think it's going to pop out only for the woman to miss it entirely. Humorously, she goes a fairly long while before she realizes it's even in the studio apartment with her. After that, the woman's paranoia causes her to act out in increasingly bizarre ways as he panics.
Long before Kill Bill popularized the black mamba, it was being used as the exotic snake of choice in this movie. In retrospect, it's actually a huge step up from other films which favored things like cobras. I suppose it's just one more thing that sets this movie apart. Trudie Styler, the intended victim, gives a very witty, neurotic performance that will endear her to some while likely annoying others. This level of weirdness, however, may make the viewer question why she'd be the one to leave the relationship >_> Gregg Henry, her would-be killer, plays the role rather stoically and has few bits of dialog to speak of. He essentially serves as a background piece, a catalyst for this fateful encounter. The real action remains squarely between the girl and the snake. More interesting than either the male or female leads is the brief cameo by Bill Moseley, who ironically is the only cast member to really do much with the rest of his career (one that's spanned numerous horror films, might I add).
The title refers to the notion that the man is giving his ex-wife a chance of survival. The snake, which has been doctored with some chemical that makes it both hyper-aggressive and more toxic but also means that it will die on its own in an hour, is a less than perfect execution method. The concept kind of justifies the rather bizarre attempt on her life, although the story still slightly pushes the boundaries of credulity. If the movie has one real fault it would be that very little happens at first but once things start happening it quickly loses the shock value and gets fairly campy.
Fair Game probably has one of the most interesting premises I've seen in a while but, due to only having one real potential victim, it gets bogged down by a ton of false scares. You keep seeing the snake seemingly draw near or think it's going to pop out only for the woman to miss it entirely. Humorously, she goes a fairly long while before she realizes it's even in the studio apartment with her. After that, the woman's paranoia causes her to act out in increasingly bizarre ways as he panics.
Long before Kill Bill popularized the black mamba, it was being used as the exotic snake of choice in this movie. In retrospect, it's actually a huge step up from other films which favored things like cobras. I suppose it's just one more thing that sets this movie apart. Trudie Styler, the intended victim, gives a very witty, neurotic performance that will endear her to some while likely annoying others. This level of weirdness, however, may make the viewer question why she'd be the one to leave the relationship >_> Gregg Henry, her would-be killer, plays the role rather stoically and has few bits of dialog to speak of. He essentially serves as a background piece, a catalyst for this fateful encounter. The real action remains squarely between the girl and the snake. More interesting than either the male or female leads is the brief cameo by Bill Moseley, who ironically is the only cast member to really do much with the rest of his career (one that's spanned numerous horror films, might I add).
The title refers to the notion that the man is giving his ex-wife a chance of survival. The snake, which has been doctored with some chemical that makes it both hyper-aggressive and more toxic but also means that it will die on its own in an hour, is a less than perfect execution method. The concept kind of justifies the rather bizarre attempt on her life, although the story still slightly pushes the boundaries of credulity. If the movie has one real fault it would be that very little happens at first but once things start happening it quickly loses the shock value and gets fairly campy.
Can't Believe This Was Ever Released in Any Medium
stevecliff25 March 2010
I had the dubious pleasure of attending a pre-screening of this movie at a Los Angeles studio in 1987 or 1988, and I find it really hard to believe that it ever made it out of editing room garbage cans. On the other hand, maybe I should take that back; there are good bad movies, and there are bad bad movies, and I have to admit that I really enjoyed guffawing in disbelief throughout this one. Still, my favorite part of the screening was filling out the evaluation form after seeing this gem: I have never had a more fruitful opportunity to exercise my limited abilities in sardonic wit. If I remember correctly, that document was my masterpiece in the genre. I wish I had a copy. Many thanks to my friend and student at the time, Sergio Canto, who got the passes to the screening.
P.S. I could take a line or two to outline what I remember about the plot of the "film," but that's as much as the writer did, so I guess I won't bother.
P.S. I could take a line or two to outline what I remember about the plot of the "film," but that's as much as the writer did, so I guess I won't bother.
So bad it's good
blautens3 May 2009
You know how some movies are so bad, they're good? My wife and I laughed out loud more watching this than we do watching some comedies. DVR this...watching it double speed is fine - just slow down for the ridiculous rare dialog.
The film appears to be entirely an Italian production. I kept guessing that the only way this was made was that it was written, directed, and starring Trudy Styler, and produced by Sting...to keep her busy. But nope, unless Sting paid off a bunch of Italian people, it looks like someone actually read this and thought "hey, this worth making". I can only guess that substantial drug use let this little turd get green lighted. Or Sting paid them off. But that's it - the only 2 plausible explanations.
The film appears to be entirely an Italian production. I kept guessing that the only way this was made was that it was written, directed, and starring Trudy Styler, and produced by Sting...to keep her busy. But nope, unless Sting paid off a bunch of Italian people, it looks like someone actually read this and thought "hey, this worth making". I can only guess that substantial drug use let this little turd get green lighted. Or Sting paid them off. But that's it - the only 2 plausible explanations.
well if nothing else
sibilance6426 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
one black mamba in a warehouse apartment versus one hot white mama. Trudie styler(aka mrs sting) plays the ultimate game of keep away from one angry venomous reptile placed there by a spurned computer game playing geek.(it's always the quiet ones you know?)most of the plot is incredulous to be generous,but i did think the one scene where she dumps flour on the floor to track the mamba's movements was pretty smart. well if nothing else if you have ever wondered what sting's wife bare bottom looks like, then you will see it in all its pale moon glory! i laughed, i cried,(not really i cheered for the snake!)and for the first time , i honestly believe that i could have mane a better movie than Italian director mario orsini. for one thing there would have been more shots of her fine hiney, and less of the geek in the car watching the game unfold with a voyeur's delight.
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