The Badger Game

Director(s) - Joshua Wagner (The Sweepers) and Thomas Zambeck (Nevermore)
Starring - Augie Duke (Spring), Patrick Cronen (Suck It), and Jillian Leigh (Echo Lake)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Crime/Thriller
Tagline - "The players always lose"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Early last year I started sharing news on the horror comedy Chopping Block which starred horror hottie Haley Jay Madison.  The film was one that I followed very closely and was able to review it when it was finished.  I was really impressed by the blend of horror and comedy.  The film was about a group of nobodies who kidnap a rich guy's daughter.  They conjure up a plan and wear animal masks to pull off the job only to fail miserably.  A few months ago I was sent the press release for the crime thriller The Badger Game that followed a group of people who kidnap someone while wearing animal masks.  The film was made in 2014 but reminded me a lot of the film that I had saw in 2015.  Makes me wonder if Chopping Block had heard of The Badger Game before production.  Either way I reached out to Intervision and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.  

     The film follows three young women and one guy who plan on kidnapping a millionaire marketing manager who has been sleeping with women behind his wife's back before breaking their hearts.  They plan on kidnapping him and forcing him to pull 2 million dollars from his savings before sending photos of him cheating to his wife.  However, things don't go to plan after he tries to escape and seriously cuts himself with a beer bottle.  Now battling death he agrees to their demands but another problem emerges when a private dick makes an appearance and discovers their plan while revealing that his wife knows he was cheating and that was why he was hired.  Now they have to adapt or face serious jail time.

     Sometimes I get a film that I think goes one way and it completely goes a different direction. I assumed The Badger Game was going to be a dark thriller that would be a gritty film focused around kidnapping and torture.  Sadly, that was not the case.  The acting in this one is decent but it could have been so much more.  The characters are all flat with no redeeming qualities.  I hate any film where I can't find at least one character that I like.  I don't have to relate to a character just like them.  These characters are all shady, sleazy, and self-absorbed.  Really hard to find a good guy or anti-hero in this one.  The story for this one is almost the exact same as Chopping Block.  I hate to keep comparing the two but they are almost identical with this one lacking humor.  The story has so much possibility.  The kidnappers in animal masks, a vulnerable person tied up in a garage full of tools, and unexpected obstacles popping up.  With that being said, this one just felt tossed together and not very dimensional.  It was a very linear story that did not feel like the thriller it could be.  Finally, the film has several on screen kills that are not that impressive.   In fact, they were actually pretty bland and boring.  The film has some blood but not enough to matter.  Overall, The Badger Game is a decent crime thriller but could have been so much more.  The film has so much potential to be so much more but falls on the line of mediocrity.  Check it out just keep that in mind.