DR Druxy,
Did you figure out THE GAME before it ended?
I didn't figure out the ending of THE GAME. In fact, I never do figure out twist endings. It always amuses me how people say they figured the twist ending of a film five minutes after it started. Like, yes - I always believe them!
Actually, in many instances, I am able to figure out the identity of the bad guy or killer long before his/her identity is revealed. TV is certainly easier than movies, but I have a couple of rules that I employ that simplifies the job.
1. If a "name" actor is in the cast and, early on, his is a "nothing part," chances are that, by the end of the show, he is going to be revealed as the "killer". A role/film that comes to mind is Tom Berenger in Robert Altman's
THE GINGERBREAD MAN.
2. If the cops on
LAW AND ORDER, for example, are interviewing the wife or son or whomever of a murder victim and somebody else is present (e.g. friend, cousin, etc.), it's a safe bet that that other person, if not the killer, is definitely involved. Why else whould he/she be there? Why would the producers pay for an actor who doesn't have a story function?
The "Druxman Rule," as we call it in our house, doesn't always work, but it does 8 out of 10 times.
But, I love it when a movie or TV show surprises me, like
SIDE EFFECTS or
THE USUAL SUSPECTS or
THE SIXTH SENSE or
THE GAME or
THE OTHERS. Those are the movies that I remember.
