[Fresh on 4K] Make it a Game Night with Criterion’s ‘THE RULES OF THE GAME’ and ‘ONE FALSE MOVE,’ plus ‘THE LAST OF US’

Travis Leamons // Film Critic

THE RULES OF THE GAME

On the surface, Jean Renoir’s film classic, an underseen ‘90s crime thriller, and the more recent television series have nothing in common. Upon further inspection, though, I liken the three to playing games. You have instructions (rules), picking sides (cops and robbers), and the goal to make it to the end (survival).

OK, I’m reaching. But pick one, two, or all three and you have quite the game night.

We begin with THE RULES OF THE GAME. A comical critique of social status, Renoir’s film continues to influence more than 80 years after its release. Initially dismissed by audiences in 1939, Renoir cut 30 minutes from its 110-minute length. Then the Second World War came and the original negative was destroyed. Renoir’s masterpiece would be resurrected in 1959 using elements to reconstruct it to the version most are familiar with.

From its deep focus shots – to which Orson Welles would emulate with CITIZEN KANE – to following the actions of a delightful melange of characters, all of its style is matched equally in Renoir’s depiction of the French as they were at a time when the sequel to the war to end all wars was looming. In his autobiography, Renoir acknowledged the public does not like to see the truth in things as presented. It makes them “feel uncomfortable.” His truth is packaged in satire where the dialogue was mostly improvised by the actors.

For the relationships between the characters, a scorecard might be helpful. There’s the acclaimed André Jurieux, a pilot who has returned home from crossing the Atlantic, and Christine, the woman he loves. Heartbroken when she doesn’t greet him at the airfield, André denounces Christine live on the radio. But she has been married to Robert, Marquis de la Chesnaye, for three years. Christine’s maid, Lisette, is married to Schumacher, the gamekeeper at Robert’s country estate, La Colinière in Sologne. Though, she is more devoted to serving Christine than being wed. Enter Marceau, a poacher who flirts with Lisette, and Octave (played by Renoir), who is André’s trusted friend and, like Lisette and Robert, is fully aware of his past relationship with Christine.

Now that the major players have been introduced, this game of manners and class status may begin. The setting is a weekend retreat to La Colinière. Robert invites Geneviève, his mistress, for one last goodbye as their relations must end. Octave urges Robert to invite André, to which he agrees. Both aristocracy and bourgeoisie are present, though servants mostly congregate in the kitchen. Over the course of the weekend, the cruelty of the guests is shown as they hunt rabbits for no reason other than to kill. Of course, this is accomplished after the beaters have scared rabbits and birds from cover, giving the rich a clear view of laying waste. A cruel and callous sequence, the scene also contains the most edits of any other scene in the film, primarily long takes for dialogue and action inside the chateau.

The Danse Macabre masked ball (highlighted by costumes from Coco Chanel) offers romantic liaisons, one of which turns deadly. Schumacher is upset with Marceau and his pursuit of his wife. So he starts a pursuit of his own with a gun in hand. Robert and André argue over Christine’s love. Another person enters declaring love for Christine. (Again, have your scorecard on hand.) A case of mistaken identity will leave one person dead, and the killing would be deemed a most unfortunate accident because, alas, those are the rules of the game.

THE RULES OF THE GAME has been a Criterion Collection staple ever since the days of LaserDisc. Making the leap from LD to DVD to Blu-ray, and now 4K UHD, French cinema and film lovers in general will no doubt be impressed with this new restoration. For the original Blu-ray, the HD master was created by the Criterion Collection from a 35mm fine-grain master processed of the reconstructed negative. This new digital restoration was handled in 2021 by the Cinematheque Francaise and Les Grands Films Classiques, and the image was restored from the nitrate composite dupe negative.

The supplements have been ported from the original 2003 DVD and 2011 Blu-ray. They include an introduction by Jean Renoir; audio commentary written by film scholar Alexander Sesonske, read by Peter Bogdanovich (THE LAST PICTURE SHOW); a video comparison of the film’s two endings; selected-scene analysis by Renoir and film historian Chris Faulkner; interview with film critic Olivier Curchod; and interviews featuring GAME set designer Max Douy, Renoir’s son Alain, and actor Mila Parely. The booklet inside the keepcase includes an essay by Sesonske, writings by Renoir, his assistant director Henri Cartier-Bresson, and filmmakers Berrand Taverier and François Truffaut. Finally, the likes of Paul Schrader, Wim Wenders, Noah Bumbach, and Robert Altman pay tribute. Altman’s is short and succinct: “THE RULES OF THE GAME taught me the rules of the game.”

Grade: B+

ONE FALSE MOVE

Next, we have what Billy Bob Thorton described as “Bonnie and Clyde meet Andy Griffith.”

Start with a crime picture. I advise aspiring filmmakers to start with some mystery or thriller. Since Hollywood is a racket, might as well go and make a film about some shady characters doing bad things or getting in over their heads.

Carl Franklin moved from acting to directing after attending the heralded Roger Corman school of filmmaking – joining alums Ron Howard, Jonathan Demme, and Peter Bogdanovich, among others. Under Corman’s tutelage, he made three pictures for his company, but the one most identify as Franklin’s cinematic breakthrough came afterward. ONE FALSE MOVE: a crime picture.

It was co-written by Billy Bob Thornton and childhood friend Tom Epperson, both of whom failed in individual artistic pursuits and became reacquainted back home in Arkansas. They focused their energy on screenwriting and spent years in Hollywood trying to scrape by until their cop script, COLOR ME BAD (later titled ONE FALSE MOVE), got some attention. Tri-Star Pictures wanted to buy it, but the president intensely disliked the script. Then, two producers optioned it for a single dollar and inked a deal with video company I.R.S. Media and RCA/Columbia to fund the movie.

On the surface, it’s a cops and robbers movie. We have Dale “Hurricane” Dixon (Bill Paxton) as the sheriff of Star City, a small Arkansas town. Dixon has such a laid-back approach to the job he might as well be in Mayberry. Though, he fancies himself for action and big city lights. Then he finds out from two new-to-town LA cops some criminals are on their way. Two of the three, Ray Malcolm (Thornton) and his girlfriend, Lila “Fantasia” Walker (Cynda Williams), are from Star City. The other, Pluto (Michael Beach), is a cold psychopath and carries himself differently than his partner, Ray.

Dixon plays the waiting game with the LA cops as they anticipate their arrival. Crosscutting between the criminals driving from Los Angeles to Star City and the cops lying in wait affords us a broad study of the observed truths of the opposing sides. While the film is punctuated with bookend violence, the desperation of its main characters is the draw.

ONE FALSE MOVE is an overlooked ‘90s neo-noir. Lila is not your typical femme fatale, but she is a catalyst in how Ray and Dale act in her presence. Still, the film carries the conceit of fatalism and reaping what you sow. I have seen this often in crime stories with country settings (rural noir) – where land, class, race, gender, and history are inseparable. Carl Franklin understood the subtext of Thornton and Epperson’s screenplay and made a picture with dark humor and deep pathos that feels urgent in the moment and timeless when looking back.

Once destined to be straight-to-video before being championed by Siskel & Ebert, ONE FALSE MOVE joins the Criterion Collection alongside Franklin’s other noir, DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS. The supplemental package is on the meager side, however. Included is Franklin’s commentary ported over from the film’s DVD release. Author William Boyle (GRAVESEND) writes a beautiful essay recalling his history with the film, including when he first came across it at a South Brooklyn video store. I have the same VHS he describes, bought at a store closing. (My copy, with its front cover faded by sunlight, washes out the mountain sunset and Cynda Williams’ face over a roadside shoot-out.) The best extra is a half-hour conversation between Franklin and Thornton discussing the film, including a story of how Williams ultimately landed the role of Fantasia because of impromptu acting at a dinner.

Thirty years later and with the Criterion seal of distinction, perhaps now ONE FALSE MOVE will gain viewers, greater appreciation, and become a neo-noir that is no longer under the radar.

Grade: B

THE LAST OF US: SEASON ONE

Moving away from Star City, Arkansas, we travel cross-country in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with THE LAST OF US.

Based on Naughty Dog’s award-winning video game for Sony PlayStation next-gen consoles, THE LAST OF US: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is a stellar adaptation that elevates its original material to become a series about the human condition after a global apocalypse.

Dissenters of the series have complained about the lack of fungus-infested people (zombies) therein, which dominated portions of the game. But show creators Neil Druckmann (who directed the original game) and Craig Mazin (CHERNOBYL) still keep the focus on protagonists Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), their journey across the U.S., and the friends and foes they encounter along the way.

Twenty years after a fungus pandemic wiped out most of civilization, Joel is a hardened survivor reluctantly tasked with escorting 14-year-old Ellie outside a Baltimore quarantine zone. The job was to hand her over to the Fireflies, a resistance movement, and get a working truck in return. The task doesn’t go as planned, and the two must journey across the country in a gripping narrative about survival, love, and sacrifice.

Roger Ebert once said, “Video games can never be art.” He was blistered with messages about his conceit, but he declined any opportunity to defend his reasoning. Ebert would then acknowledge that “no video gamer now living will survive long enough to experience the medium as an art form.” Ebert passed away in April 2013. THE LAST OF US game arrived on the PlayStation 3 console a few months later.

Considering the number of people involved in creating a film or television series, for a film critic to label a video game – which also takes considerable time, effort, and people to make – as “not art” is just absurd.

I use this digression to underline an indelible fact: THE LAST OF US game is art. The platitudes bestowed upon the game are massive, including induction into the World Video Game Hall of Fame this year. As a television series, it forges a new legacy in a different medium.

Druckmann and Mazin’s show captures what made the game visually stunning and narratively engrossing. But then it goes aboveboard in enhancing relationships only briefly mentioned during gameplay. The best example is “Long, Long Time” (episode 3). Joel and Ellie, our leads, are put to the side as the focus shifts to Bill (Nick Offerman), a paranoid survivalist, and Frank (Murray Bartlett), a passerby looking for a hot meal and shower. Joel had encountered both men in helping to establish a smuggling operation through a mutual friend. This history is established during the episode but is a minor plot detail. The episode is a deeper look at love over the passage of time, showing happiness when the outside world is on fire. But as the mood of the episode changes, a reaffirmation occurs that will ultimately see Ellie play the role of protector as the season progresses.

How the series emboldens characters and enriches their world innately benefits both storytelling mediums. “Long, Long Time” could not work at a video game level, but it is a signature achievement as a singular chapter of a much larger series. As a one-off, it is undoubtedly one of the best episodes of television ever made.

THE LAST OF US is the total package. Incredible production design, exceptional performances by Pascal and Ramsay, and the type of immersive storytelling I didn’t think was possible without holding a video game controller. Thankfully, my fingertips can breathe a sigh of relief.

All nine episodes are spread across four discs for its home video release. If you watched the episodes weekly on HBO Max (now MAX), each was followed by a short, behind-the-scenes featurette. Those are included. The bulk of the extras are found on Disc 4. The docs “Controllers Down” and “From Levels to Live Action” further enhance the adaptation process by turning the award-winning game into a series. Elsewhere, we have featurettes on individual cast members and “The Last Debrief with Troy Baker,” a five-part podcast series with the actor who voiced Joel in the original game.

There you have it. Which game (disc) will you play first?

Grade: A-