Themes: Mind Games, Femmes Fatales, One Last Heist
Main Cast: Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron, Dennis Farina, James Frain
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A burglar looking to make time with a beautiful woman after five years in prison falls into a dangerous trap in this action drama. Rudy (Ben Affleck) is serving time in prison for auto theft, where he becomes friendly with his cellmate Nick (James Frain). Nick has been enjoying a spicy courtship by mail with a woman named Ashley (Charlize Theron), who has sent him several enticing photos, even though he has been unable to send her any of himself. Rudy and Nick are to be released the same day, but Nick is killed in an altercation with only three days left to serve. Rudy is let out on schedule, and discovers Ashley, unaware that Nick is dead, is waiting for him. Swayed by her beauty, Rudy claims to be Nick, which turn out to be fun until Rudy meets Ashley's brother Gabriel (Gary Sinise). Gabriel runs with a group of outlaws planning on using Nick's knowledge of an Indian gambling casino in Michigan where he once worked in order to stage a massive robbery on Christmas Eve. Rudy soon realizes if keeps on being Nick, he gets to stay with Ashley, but he'll also have to go along with Gabriel's robbery, which could easily land him back in prison -- or get him killed. Clarence Williams III, Danny Trejo and Donal Logue play Gabriel's henchmen; Dennis Farina, Isaac Hayes, and Ashton Kutcher also highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Donal Logue - Pug; Danny Trejo - Jumpy; Isaac Hayes - Zook; Gordon Tootoosis - Old Governor; Dana Stubblefield - Alamo; Clarence Williams III - Merlin; Sam Bob - Video Guard; Ken Camroux - Father; Lonny Chapman - Old Timer; Robin Driscoll - Desk Clerk; Anna Hagan - Mother; Thomas Heaton - Ugly Staffer; Jimmy Herman - Bartender; Ron Hyatt - Prisoner #1; Frank Jones - Security Boss; Michael Puttonen - Bill; Paula Shaw - Aunt Lisbeth; Jacob Rupp - Park Ranger #1; Mark Acheson - Mean Guard; Don S. Williams - Uncle Ray; John Destrey - Fat Guy; Jenafor Ryane - Jill; Dean Wray - Guard #1; David Jacox - Park Ranger #2; Blair Slater - Sam; Ashton Kutcher - College Kid; Enuka Okuma - Cocktail Waitress #1; Hrothgar Matthews - Exit Guard; Marcus Hondro - Cashier #2; Douglas H. Arthurs - Distant Inmate #2; Lee Jay Bamberry - Young Governor; Eva De Viveiros - Cocktail Waitress #2; James Hutson - Mike; Wendy Noel - Stacey; Terry O'Sullivan - Aunt Mary; Alonso Oyarzun - Casino Dealer; Ana Paul Piedade - Portuguese Woman; Joanna Piros - TV Newscaster; Ron Sauve - Guard #2; Michael Sunczk - Distant Inmate #1; Rod Wolfe - Cashier #1
Credit
Eric Fraser - Art Director, Helen Veronica Jarvis - Art Director, Spencer Alexander - Animator, James Sbardellati - Associate Producer, Tony Giacinti - Boom Operator, Mali Finn - Casting, Lynne Carrow - Casting, Susan Brouse - Casting, Emily Schweber - Casting, Denise Doyle - Casting, B. Casey Grant - Co-producer, Mark Indig - Co-producer, May Routh - Costume Designer, Cheryle Cravedi - Costume Designer, James Sbardellati - First Assistant Director, Mairzee Almas - First Assistant Director, John Frankenheimer - Director, Martin F. Katz - Second Unit Director, David Crone - Second Unit Director, Antony Gibbs - Editor, Michael Kahn - Editor, Tony Gibbs - Editor, Harvey Weinstein - Executive Producer, Cary Granat - Executive Producer, Andrew Rona - Executive Producer, Benjamin Robin - Hair Styles, Kirk Johns - Location Manager, Connie Kennedy - Location Manager, Alan Silvestri - Composer (Music Score), Deborah Larsen - Makeup, Charles Porlier - Makeup, Benjamin Robin - Makeup, David Crone - Camera Operator, Barbara Dunphy - Production Designer, Alan Caso - Cinematographer, Bill Neil - Cinematographer, Martin F. Katz - Producer, Bob Weinstein - Producer, Chris Moore - Producer, Gary Ritchie - Recording, Kathaleen McCart - Recording, Bill Orr - Special Effects, Larry Sutton - Sound Mixer, Larry Sutton - Sound/Sound Designer, Mike LeMare - Sound Editor, Solange S. Schwalbe - Sound Editor, Gary Ritchie - Sound Recordist, Kathaleen McCart - Sound Recordist, Ernie Jackson - Stunts, Fred Perron - Stunts, Tony Morelli - Stunts, Bill Stewart - Stunts, George Josef - Stunts, David Jacox - Stunts, Guy Bews - Stunts, Yves Cameron - Stunts, Tom McComas - Stunts, Larry "Warlock" Lam - Stunts, Ronald Robinson - Stunts, Aubrey Lee Culp - Stunts, Eric Bryson - Stunts, Gaston Howard - Stunts, Terrance Leigh - Stunts, Brad Loree - Stunts, Shealah Seaton - Stunts, Brett Armstrong - Stunts, Michael Langlois - Stunts, Paul Wu - Stunts, Nancy Young - Stunts, Kevin Andruschak - Stunts, Gavin Buhr - Stunts, Rick Burgess - Stunts, Dean Choe - Stunts, Duayne Dickenson - Stunts, Bill Edwards - Stunts, Ryan Ennis - Stunts, Randy Lee - Stunts, Kit Mallet - Stunts, Steve McMichael - Stunts, Efosa Outomagie - Stunts, Brian Rogne - Stunts, Owen Walstrom - Stunts, Clayton Watmough - Stunts, Mike Mitchell - Stunts, Joe Dunne - Stunts Coordinator, Jacob Rupp - Stunts Coordinator, B. Casey Grant - Unit Production Manager, Ehren Kruger - Screenwriter, Gwen Everman - Production Assistant, Jina Johnson - Production Assistant, Rachel Malette - Production Assistant, Weatie Rosenlehner - Production Assistant, Dimitrius Sagriotus - Production Assistant, Joelle Wilson - Production Assistant, Kevin Collins - Production Assistant, Paul Burger - Production Assistant, Bruce Nicholson - Visual Effects Supervisor, Brad Kuehn - Visual Effects Supervisor, Robert Fitzgerald - Sound Effects Editor, Steve Livingston - Sound Effects Editor, David Lewis Yewdall - Sound Effects Editor, Beth Anne Calabro-Oulman - Executive in Charge of Production, Kevin Hyman - Executive in Charge of Production, Patricia Johnson - Unit Publicist, Jessica Drake - Dialogue Coach, Kevin Black - Key Grip, Kenneth Karman - Music Editor, Dan Diprima - Music Editor, Maggie Cone - Post Production Supervisor, Yvonne Melville - Production Coordinator, Penny Gibbs - Production Supervisor, Dean Eilertson - Properties Master, Crist Ballas - Prosthetic Makeup Effects, Steve Pederson - Re-Recording Mixer, Richard Alexander - Re-Recording Mixer, Michael Herbick - Re-Recording Mixer, Angela Allen - Script Supervisor, Lori Kuchera - Script Supervisor, Natasha Young - Script Supervisor, Carwyn Jones - Second Assistant Director, Mike Splatt - Special Effects Assistant, Alex Burdett - Special Effects Assistant, Grant Smith - Special Effects Assistant, John Wilkinson - Special Effects Assistant, Robert Fitzgerald - Sound Effects Director, Steve Livingston - Sound Effects Director, David Lewis Yewdall - Sound Effects Director, Bill Orr - Special Effects Coordinator, Rob McEwan - Still Photographer, Mike LeMare - Supervising Sound Editor, Crystal Dowd - Visual Effects Producer, John Adams - ADR Editor, Dwayne Avery - ADR Editor, Vivien Nishi - Assistant Art Director, Jeremy Stanbridge - Assistant Art Director, Trish Keating - Assistant Costumer Designer, Dave Tarris - Assistant Location Manager, Marnie Gee - Assistant Location Manager, Lynne Spencer - Assistant Production Coordinator, Brian Epp - Assistant Properties, Reuben Domingo - Assistant Sound Editor, David Marcus - Assistant Sound Editor, Oscar Mitt - Assistant Sound Editor, Matthias Schmitz - Assistant Sound Editor, Stuart Haggerty - Best Boy Electric, Bill Molnar - Best Boy Grip, Lindsey Hayes - Casting Assistant, Denis Brock - Chief Lighting Technician, Doug Hardwick - Construction Coordinator, Sandra Watson - Costumes Supervisor, Edmund J. Lachman - Dialogue Editor, Robert O'Hara - Dolly Grip, Willem Doesburg - Draftsman, Andrea Brown - Extra Casting, Wendy Spooner - Extra Casting, Dawn Sharpe - First Assistant Accountant, Vince Nicastro - Foley Artist, Katherine Barper - Foley Artist, Brady A. Schwartz - Foley Editor, Wayne Herndon - Key Hairstylist, Tracy Lee McGrath - Production Executive, Gordi Brunner - Set Dresser, Patrick Kearns - Set Dresser, Ted Boonthanakit - Storyboard Artist, Elizabeth Wilcox - Set Decorator
Reindeer Games (also known as Deception[1]) is a 2000 movie, directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, and Charlize Theron. It was Frankenheimer's final theatrically released film but received poor reviews.
Nick and Rudy are cellmates in prison. Nick has been corresponding with a young woman named Ashley Mercer, who is waiting for him on the outside. But when Nick is killed during a prison uprising, Rudy takes his place and lets the beautiful Ashley think he's the one who has been writing her the love letters. Before long, Rudy discovers that pretending to be Nick was not such a good idea after all, as some fellow criminals intend to use him for their own purposes - robbing the casino at which Nick used to work. The film takes a series of twists and turns as Rudy discovers that he has been duped numerous times.
The twists include:
Gabriel, the leader of the gang who assaults Rudy and Ashley in the cabin, claims to be Ashley's brother, rather than an old enemy of Nick's as Rudy initially assumes.
Ashley knew that Gabriel was going to kidnap and force Rudy to assist in the robbery, rather than being surprised at Gabriel's abduction of Rudy.
Ashley is sleeping with, and in cahoots with Gabriel, rather than being the reluctant, abused sister that Rudy thinks she is.
The PowWow safe contains assault rifles, not embezzled money as Rudy said all along. The earlier scene where the tribal elders discussed how the casino was not making nearly as much money as other tribes' casinos was a red herring.
Nick is alive, rather than having been killed in prison as Rudy was led to believe.
Ashley is Nick's old girlfriend, not Gabriel's sister. She met Gabriel at a truck stop.
Ashley was not in cahoots with Gabriel, she was manipulating him to rob the casino so she could steal the money, kill him, and run off with Nick.
The film received generally poor reviews and lost expectations at achieving commercial success. Theron considered it her worst movie[2], saying that "Reindeer Games was not a good movie, but I did it because I loved John Frankenheimer."[3] A CNN review said: "Reindeer Games isn't at the bottom of his creative barrel, but it's close."[1]
