The One Game

Of course, there's no proof that the writers of the Michael Douglas film "The Game" ever saw this miniseries, (unlikely, as it was only ever shown once in a small region of the UK) but the two are sufficiently similar you can get a feel for what you're in for when you watch the One Game by comparing. The One Game, of course, came 10 years earlier, on a fraction of the budget, and seemingly disappeared having never been rerun since its original broadcast. As such it's a bit of a "lost gem" of a miniseries.

Like "The Game", it centers around a main character who is trapped in a "reality game", where there are no rules, only seemingly lethal obstacles, and not much of a hint of what the final prize, or the motivation for playing (beyond survival), really is. The two main stars turn in good performances: Stephen Dillane appears in 2004's "Arthur" in the role of Merlin, Patrick Malahide has been in a load of things including "The Long Kiss Goodnight". The twists and turns in the plot keep you guessing till the very last scene; like "The Game" you never really know what side any of the "players" are on, or how the puzzles come together, but unlike "The Game" the payoff actually makes a lot more sense, with a lot fewer plot holes having been reached along the way.

OK, it's not all good: like any cult film, particularly of that era, there's a fair amount of cheese, and some definite B-movie acting from the B-characters, such as Thorne's girlfriend, and his business partner, and an awful comic-book style "recap" before each of the 4 episodes. The sub-plot around Thorne's business doesn't quite work except in the context of exposition, which could have been done better another way. It shows its age with the computer puzzles, but then that's 1988: if you're into cult TV you'd just as easy eat all of that up and enjoy it.

On the whole though it's an enjoyable watch that deserves more attention than it got, and the good news is, it's finally been released on DVD, so maybe a few more people will get to see it now. For those interested, it's released by Contender under their Kult-TV label and can be ordered online

Back when, I saw this on Channel 21 in New York. I didn't see the whole thing. I've been waiting for it to come out on DVD in the States. Some extremely kind person has posted it on YouTube and I was able to see it again; I loved it! Yes, perhaps technically it might have been better but not without foreknowledge of where computers were going! Yes, maybe there were a few too many beatings and 'here come the thugs again' but still, the concept and the things left to the imagination made for a memorable, nay unforgettable experience. And the music. I was already familiar with Nigel Hess' talent from the music he wrote for the Campion series at about the same time, and there are similarities. Gorgeous music. (Incidentally, Nigel Hess has a website and you can hear snippets from his scores.) This is my favorite of the Patrick Malahide performances I've seen although to tell the truth, those might be just this and Inspector Alleyn.

I would love to see this film again. It was fascinating and unique, but the involved story needed more than one viewing. The music, Sayon Dola impressed me and I bought the single. Now it has been recorded by Russell Watson on his CD The Voice.

I've seen several commentaries in various places stating flatly that this series was never aired in the US, so the creators of the Michael Douglas movie couldn't possibly have seen it. That's not true, though. The whole mini-series of "The One Game" was aired on a San Francisco public television channel, in approximately 1990 or 1991. I know this because I watched 3 of the 4 episodes myself. It was quite a good show, but unfortunately I was abruptly called into work the evening the fourth episode aired, and my VCR being broken at the time, I was never able to watch the final episode. Ever since seeing "The Game" a few years ago, I recalled "The One Game" being very similar and have been trying to obtain the DVD, but I can't find any USA-region-encoded version for sale on line. But in any event, if the argument for the originality of the Michael Douglas version rests on the notion that the writers couldn't have seen the original "One Game" in the USA, that argument simply fails. I'd bet money that at least one of the writers watched the series when I did, in Ess Eff, and ripped it off on the gamble that the US broadcast was so obscure it would be forever forgotten. It'll never be proved, of course. And I for one will never forget the broadcast because I never got to see the ending. :-(

I've seen this original TV movie around 1989 and even now I am wondering who can tell me where to buy this on DVD.

For some reason the story and its cast left a solid impression and whenever I see a similar story on another movie, I always compare it with this one. The score was well chosen, the plot was brilliant. Anyone who knows where to get this, let me know! (tro2@xs4all.nl) The American version (the Game) was good, but in my opinion it lacked being convincing.

Britsh film-making at its best, without special effects, but an exciting, thrilling story, highly recommended!