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Dangerous Game (1987 film)

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Dangerous Game
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStephen Hopkins
Screenplay byPeter West
Produced byBasil Appleby
Judith West
StarringMiles Buchanan
Marcus Graham
Steven Grives
Kathryn Walker
Sandie Lillingston
John Polson
CinematographyPeter Levy
Edited byTim Wellburn
Music bySteve Ball
Les Gock
Release date
  • March 1987 (1987-03)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetA$4.7 million[1]
Box officeA$31,802 (Australia)[2]

Dangerous Game is a 1987[a] Australian slasher film directed by Stephen Hopkins.

The film received a limited release but, in Hopkins' words, "was seen in Cannes by a bunch of Hollywood people" and "was quite a big sort of stylish action film on a small budget" and led to Hopkins being offered the jobs of directing Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5 and Predator 2.[6]

Plot

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Jack Hayward (Marcus Graham) is a computer hacker who breaks into a department store one night with his friends for thrills. They are soon locked in by former cop, turned security guard, Patrick Murphy (Steven Grives) who had recently been suspended from his job because of Jack and his friends. This cat-and-mouse game becomes a fight for survival when Tony (John Polson), one of Jack's friends, is murdered by Murphy, and his friends are next.

Cast

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Production

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Filming took place in October 1987.[7]

The set built by Igor Nay was one of the largest ever built for an Australian film.[8]

Reception

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The film was made in 1987 but not released in Australian theatres until March 1990, by which time Hopkings had made Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5.

According to Stephen Hopkins, the film sold well at Cannes because "at that time it was quite cool to be Australian."[9]

Critical

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The Age felt "its virtues far outeweighed its flaws."[10]

"Vern" wrote "the characters are likable, the cinematography is excellent, the filmatism is strong, there are some good action parts and the villain is multi-layered and interesting."[11]

Accolades

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Award Category Subject Result
AACTA Awards
(1987 AFI Awards) 		Best Sound Peter Fenton Nominated
Phil Heywood Nominated
Martin Oswin Nominated
Best Production Design Igor Nay Nominated

Notes

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  1. ^ many film reference books and online databases list the film's year as 1988[3][4][5]

References

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  1. ^ "Production Survey", Cinema Papers, September 1987 p66
  2. ^ "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Film Victoria. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  3. ^ "Gates of Video Hell: Dangerous Game (1988)". 7 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Dangerous Game" – via IMDb.
  5. ^ "Dangerous Game - Review - Photos - Ozmovies". www.ozmovies.com.au.
  6. ^ "Stephen Hopkins Interview". AVP Galaxy. January 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. ^ "Production barometer". Cinema Papers. May 1988. p. 46.
  8. ^ David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p244
  9. ^ Logan, Brian (29 July 1998). "Arts: Some of Stephen Hopkins's films are so bad he can't bear to watch them... But Lost In Space is different. Brian Logan meets the man who won the hearts of Heather Graham and Hollywood". The Guardian. p. 014.
  10. ^ Murphy, Jim (25 July 1991). "Video new releases". The Age Green Guide. p. 14.
  11. ^ Vern (30 October 2012). "Dangerous Game". Vern's reviews on the films of cinema.
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