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Gamer | 2009 | R | - 7.9.8
In the near future anyone can participate in virtual reality games where real people are being controlled remotely and will do anything their gamers want them to do. In one game, death row prisoners are given an opportunity to go free if they survive several rounds of a war simulation game. One man (Gerard Butler) is close to winning the game when the rules change. Also with Amber Valletta, Michael C. Hall, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Kyra Sedgwick, Logan Lerman and Alison Lohman. Directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor. [1:45]
SEX/NUDITY 7 - In crowd scenes we see many women in skimpy clothing, some women are shown topless (bare breasts are visible), we see women kissing each other and caressing each other's bare breasts, and we see men and women having sex (the women are shown topless and the men are thrusting from behind). A woman is made to go into a club where men and women dance and some have sex (we see thrusting with not much other detail); some women are bare breasted and some reveal bare buttocks, and women are shown kissing and caressing each other.
► Two women ask a young man if he wants to see their breasts, he says yes and they lift their tops revealing bare breasts. We see a person's bare buttocks in a car window (it isn't clear whether it is male or female). A woman wears a very low-cut dress that reveals cleavage. A woman is shown with bare breasts and brightly colored stickers cover her nipples. A woman is dressed in very short shorts (the lower part of her bare buttocks are visible). A woman wears a thong bikini and her bare buttocks are visible. Several men are shown bare-chested on a prison yard basketball court. A woman opens her top and reveals a plastic chest plate with the outline of breasts and nipples.
► A man kisses a woman's neck and caresses her clothed breasts and down to her crotch, a woman gets on her hands and knees on the floor (we see her clothed buttocks) and a man behind her reaches into his pants (presumably to prepare to have sex with her but they are interrupted). A man stands next to a woman in an elevator and thrusts against her hip.
► We see a morbidly obese, topless man playing a virtual reality simulation game where he controls a woman: He dresses her in skimpy outfits, and he has her meet and seduce men (usually revealing cleavage, the bottom part of her bare buttocks, bare thighs, and bare abdomen).
► A man and a woman kiss. A husband and his wife kiss. A man kisses a woman's hand a couple of times. A man sniffs a woman's hand.
► A man pulls on something from inside his pants and we hear a stretch and a slap.
► A man asks a woman, "How about I breach your fire wall someday?" A young woman talks about wanting a man to "fill her up with his hot seed." A man tells a woman "stop menstruating…"
VIOLENCE/GORE 9 - A prisoner beats another prisoner to death with a stone; we see the man straddling the other man on the ground and pounding his head repeatedly (we hear squishing, we see blood splatter and we see the head crush under the stone).
► There are many scenes that show armed people shooting at each other: bullet strikes show copious blood spurting and we occasionally hear a thud and a moan, a man is shot in the leg and we see that below the knee his leg has been blown off (we see blood and stump), a man is set on fire and flips over an overpass onto the ground below, a grenade is thrown and it explodes (we see blood and body parts), a grenade is thrown and a man is thrown high into the air by the explosion, a man stands in the midst of the shooting and another person's blood splatters on his face, a woman's head is shot completely off (we see splatter and the remaining bloody neck) and several are shot in the head and blood splatters.
► A large truck with a scooper pushes several limbs and body parts off a street, a car flips over in flames, a man on a motorcycle is blown out of the air, an unarmed man is shot several times in the chest (we see bloody holes in his clothing), and a woman is struck hard by a speeding truck.
► A man fights many other men, he snaps the neck of one (we hear a crack), slams another into the floor breaking his head (with a crunch and blood), and kicks and punches the others. A man fights with another man: he breaks his arm (we hear a crunch and see the arm bend unnaturally), punches him in the throat, and then snaps the man's neck twice (with a crunch). A man punches another man, they fight, one man's foot is shot off (we see blood and matter), and the other man then shoots several other men (blood spurts). A man with a gun shoots another man in the head (blood spurts and pours onto the floor). A man picks another man up and breaks his back across his knee (we hear a crunch and the man falls limp. A man stabs a woman in the back (we hear a crunch and he wipes his knife blade on a man's white fur coat), and then breaks a man's neck with a twist and a crunch.
► A man with a metal pipe strikes a man in the back a couple of times, the man falls to the ground, they fight, and then one of the men is dragged away by several other men. We see a man seated in a chair with his lead tipped back and a puddle of blood on the floor beneath him in a couple of scenes. A man shoots a man who is thrown back. We see several people being shot and killed on a video screen (blood splatters). Several people are shot and killed in a crowded club: we see blood spurt and spray, and then we see it as a glowing blue liquid in a black light effect.
► A man rips his own neck open and pulls out a piece of metal -- he screams and we hear squishing, we see blood on the open wound and his hands, and he twitches when he falls to the ground. We see people hanging from hooks through their skin (no blood is shown).
► Two men fight with punches and kicks, one man is slashed across the abdomen with a knife, they hold the knife between them trying to stab each other and one is eventually stabbed in the abdomen; we hear a crunch and the knife is twisted (the man falls to the floor with a lot of blood pooling around him). A man swings a knife toward another man's neck (he stops), and then slashes his own leg (we see blood).
► We see a man with half his head missing. A man cleans a bloody cut on his shoulder. A woman on roller blades skates into another woman, they fall on the ground and we see blood on the arm of one of them, who then licks the blood and laughs. During a TV show we see blood splatter on a screen.
► A man in a car is chased by two large trucks, he shoots at the drivers, one truck tips over and slides on the road, and the other flips over and explodes. A man speeds in a car, another man jumps onto the side of the car trying to attack the driver, the driver steers into a cement pylon and the man on the outside of the car is struck hard. A man runs and slams into a glass wall.
► A man swings a knife toward a young girl's throat; he stops, slams the knife into the floor, and then lunges toward another man. A woman is punched in the face (we see her bloody lip later).
► A man with blood on his hands says, "I just killed someone" and then tells a man that he is going to "visit" his wife and daughter (implying rape and murder). We see billboards and ads that refer to "Killer" and "Slayers" in several scenes. A virtual reality simulation is described as "living through others and dying through others." A man threatens a young man and talks close to his face.
► People are shown being controlled by "gamers" who make them do things that they wouldn't ordinarily do. We see a morbidly obese man playing a virtual reality simulation game where he controls a woman, dressing her in skimpy outfits and meeting and seducing men. We see a close up of a man in a rage; he's breathing heavily, sweating and snarling.
► A man sticks his fingers in his mouth and then vomits alcohol he had just consumed into the gas tank of a car -- we see liquid and hear splattering; he then urinates in the gas tank of the car and we hear a trickle. A man is shown with a jagged scar across his throat. People are shown eating bugs (some still wriggling) in a club scene. We see an animation of something moving through intestines and being passed out the anus. A man has a gray front tooth. A man's hand is poked with a sharp implement and we see a drop of blood on the back of his hand. A needle pokes a woman's skin and blood is drawn. A dog urinates on a woman's ankle and shoe (we see the stream). We see an X-ray image showing cells multiplying and we hear about the process of replicated cells replacing actual cells.
LANGUAGE 8 - About 39 F-words and its derivatives, 3 sexual reference, 18 scatological terms, 9 anatomical terms, 18 mild obscenities, name-calling (spooky, sick, psycho, cheater, retards,), 4 religious profanities, 2 religious exclamations.
SUBSTANCE USE - A man drinks a bottle of Vodka straight down then stumbles from the effects of the alcohol, people drink alcohol in a club, and a woman drinks an alcoholic beverage with a live worm in it. A woman smokes a cigarette.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Virtual reality games, simulations, guilty pleasures, fraud, advancements in technology, evolution, loss of custody of a child, slavery, manipulation, free will.
MESSAGE - Human brains are not that different from computers and can be controlled.
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CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
Afraid - 4.5.5
You Gotta Believe - 2.3.3
The Forge - 1.1.1
City of Dreams - 5.8.7
The Crow - 6.9.8
Blink Twice - 6.7.10
The Union - 3.5.5
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We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.
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Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.
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