The Rules Of The Game ★★★★☆

Review of 'The Rules Of The Game' which can be found here on YouTube.

Length: 07:25

Written by Sam Michell and directed by Tom Daley

Genre: Comedy

Date: 2009

Rating: ★★★★☆

Logline: A groom preparing for his stag do regales the tale of how his engagement has gone horribly wrong.

Chris Harper plays husband to be, Henry, and gives an excellent performance as this is very much a character piece. The film is nicely different from others on a couple of points. The first surprise for the audience comes when Harper breaks the third wall, talking directly to us. About his story, he tells "You might already know it", suggesting that this is some variant on an urban myth. Another good contrast is that Harper not only plays Henry but abstractly takes on the roles of the best friend, dance tutor, wedding guest etc. I imagine the script had definite actor appeal.

The plot is well crafted with reversals and twists playing with our expectations. And yet not overly original so you won't be dumbstruck by the concluding twist. Tonally, comic but increasing dark. One point annoyed me where Henry excuses himself to go to the bathroom then we cut to him standing having a piss and chatting away to us, rendering his last statement pointless. A minor point, I know.

Camera work is beautifully done and the manor house set piece is used very well. Picture quality is high as is lighting and sound production. The soundtrack is professional and stays subtly in the background. I did find the pacing slow and felt this film could have been considerably shorter. Some scenes weren't very effective such as Henry answering the silent phone caller or him jumping into the swimming pool for example. These scenes felt like time fillers and brought little to the story and just get in the way.

The directing is excellent with tons of visual variation on shots. Performance too is emotionally engaging with a likable protagonist. Felt the ending lets it down a little by not delivering a big enough punch. Otherwise, really good.

Best Bit: Talking directly to the audience.

Worst Bit: Takes too long to tell the story.

Final thought: They've hung up on you mate, why you still saying hello?

Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.