Dangerous Game is one you can skip

Director Sean McNamara takes a break from the family fare to go a bit dark in his latest feature, Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders, from SP Media Group. Brian Buccellato pens the film’s screenplay after dabbling in the world of shorts. 

The Betts family have reunited to celebrate the birthday of patriarch Ellison (Jon Voight) at a remote mansion. Those in attendance include the youngest alienated son Kyle (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), and his girlfriend, Joy (Skyler Shaye). Eldest son Alec (Will Sasso) and his family wife Marie (Laura Mennell), son Cameron (Dylan Playfair), and daughter Livie (Megan Christopher). Also, Cameron’s significant other Tara (Kaya Coleman) attends the party for some good times. However, things take a lethal turn when the family discovers they are trapped inside and forced to play a deadly survival game where only one will make it out alive. 

Glancing at the trailer for Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders, the film gives off the impression that it’s a conglomeration of Knives Out, Ready or Not, and Jumanji. Moreover, die-hard film buffs might also argue that it is a take on the thriller genre, emphasizing the reunification of family or friends who still have many secrets to conceal.

I must admit I didn’t know what to expect when I hit play on Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders. Jonathan Rhys Meyers’s latest films have all screamed paycheck performances. Will Sasso is a comedian, and even though he is an Oscar Winner and was great on Ray Donovan, Jon Voight’s political views sometimes make it hard to take him seriously. Nevertheless, I did have an assignment and intended to see it through.

The film opens by introducing a victim meeting a gruesome fate. A few minutes later, we meet The Betts family. Unfortunately, the characters all fall into typical templates that a movie of this requires. The plot starts quickly and doesn’t waste exposition time with the family. I’m not saying I wanted Brian Buccellato’s script to give everyone a backstory, but something was missing. The only character who was somewhat interesting was Will Sasso.

While I’m sure that someone will like Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders, it was a miss for me. Everyone else in the cast is phoning it in the film. Furthermore, the death scenes aren’t creative, and the twist ending of the mastermind comes off as forced.

Final Grade: C- 

Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders is IN SELECT THEATRES AND AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL ON OCTOBER 21, 2022