'There are no rules in the game' runs the advertising blurb for this complex thriller.

Clearly, there are no rules of logic here either, as you could ride an elephant through the holes in the plot.

Michael Douglas plays Nicholas Van Orton, a shrewdly successful multi-millionaire investment banker given a bizarre birthday present by his brother (Sean Penn): entry to a game that looks certain to destroy every aspect of his carefully constructed life.

Finding himself on the run from armed assassins, who appear to be monitoring his every move, Van Orton must fight for his life.

Although bizarre and rather illogical, the movie, filmed with panache and the occasional striking image, is often lifted by the considerable talent involved.

Review by IPC