The Running Gamer

Gamer is, in essence, Schwarznegger's The Running Man, except the hero Gerard Butler is a human avatar for a mind controlling internet game & he has a wife and kid that he still give a monkeys about.

As you'd expect from the directors of the Crank movies, it's spectacularly inventive. It's occasionaly surreal (Michael C Hall's dance number)and batshit crazy (the Simms inspired "Society" intro) but not to the point where it's at odds with itself.
The action is often quickly cut but never to point where it makes things not understandable (yes, 10 months later and I'm still on Quantum of Solace's case). Taylor and Nevildine have a complex sci-fi concept to introduce...what the Slayers online game is, how it works and how it affects the world and our characters...which could easily get confusing in the midst of intensely lunatic set-pieces. However the story concept is communicated clearly with the social commentary you'd expect from this kind of high concept science fiction all present and correct. It comments on how we're all all wired into net, tv, etc and how our morality has changed as a result (a great example is the News hosts who now casually smoke and swear as a matter of course). Of couse, if you've seen Untraceable, Gladiator or The Condemned recently, the same themes are explored.

There's also a cool soundtrack which features Marilyn Manson's cover of Sweet Dreams and The Bloodhoundgang's The Bad Touch. The great cast includes Kyra Sedgewick, Ludacris , Milo Ventimigila (it takes a brave man to act that crazy on film), cute Allison Lohman and a sexy Amber Valletta and an 'on form' Michal C Hall.

It occured to me that Nevildine and Taylor show the same sort of invention, at this early stage of their career, as Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson did in theirs. Perhaps one day, I thought, we may see these guys producing Oscar baiting stuff...or a multi-billion superhero franchise...maybe 20 years down the road. Once they've got their batshit ideas off their chest. Then again they might just be the next Russell Mulcahy..whose Highlander showed great promise, and who ended up helming Scorpion King and Resident Evil sequels. Mmmmm.