Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders has some great moments, but overall it is a predictable mess of a movie.
Family game night has never been so cutthroat. In Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders, a family is thrown together under the guise that they are there for a family reunion as the head of the family, played by Jon Voight, is growing old and is sick. However, things quickly turn deadly and the only goal of the weekend ends up being trying to get out the desolate mansion alive.
This movie feels a little but like Clue, and a bit like the Saw franchise. It is a whodunit mystery, but with a twist. The murderer makes themselves known by forcing a game to be played, called The Legacy Murders. The family is given case files on murders and a bunch of suspects. They think they are trying to solve it all and reveal the killer in the game, but there is a bit more to it than that.
At the same time, they are being hunted down themselves. Those that refuse to play are being punished as a sinister voice is forcing them to complete the game, for reasons unknown.
What Works With Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders
Let’s start off with the positive. This movie has an interesting concept, and it sure knows how to hook an audience from the start. Immediately viewers will be wondering what the heck is going on. This is one of those thriller films where it is hard not to yell at the characters for their poor choices, and that at least proves how invested those watching can become in the story.
If you like blood and gore in your thriller flicks, have no fear, because there is no shortage of that. The deaths are pretty gnarly at times and even if not executed in the best way, they are pretty grotesque at times. Not super realistic or believable every time, but still fun to watch.
For better or worse, Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders is a lot like the Saw movies. It almost feels like a rip off at times, but it works at other times. For hardcore fans of Jigsaw, this might be seen as a positive, others might consider the killer to be a Jigsaw wannabee. So let’s place this in the neutral section of the review.
What Doesn’t Work With Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders
One of the biggest complaints about this movie is how unstable the cameras are at times. It seems like it was meant to add to the effect of running from or towards events, but some of the shakiness is a bit nauseating. There are also some weird editing choices being made, that make the film a little bit harder to follow.
There is a large ensemble cast in Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders, most of which don’t do the best job. We don’t want to shame anyone, because it is likely largely in part due to the script and messy dialogue, but the acting could also use a little bit of work. Still, there are several standouts that do their best to carry the movie with what they are given.
While the premise is intriguing, and the kills are great, it doesn’t take long to put two and two together. Thriller aficionados will likely have it all figured out by the time the second act even kicks in. The ride is enjoyable enough, but knowing how it is all going to add takes away from the effect of the twist reveal.
Overall Thoughts
Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders is a mystery thriller that combines a few popular themes in movies like this — and the tropes that go with them. This causes there to be a messy script, but at least there are some pretty bloody and crazy kills. The plot, while intriguing, is also very predictable, causing the big reveal to fall flat for anyone who was paying attention — and the small ones along the way to be even less shocking.
There is potential here, but unfortunately the movie ultimately falls flat. For those who love a whodunit thriller though, this is a decent choice for a night in.
Rating: 2 out of 5
NEXT: Some Like It Rare Movie Review
About Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Vikings) and Academy Award® Winner Jon Voight (Coming Home) star in this nail-bitingly suspenseful thriller filled with twists and turns. A family reunion at a remote mansion takes a lethal turn when they are trapped inside and forced to play a deadly survival game where only one will make it out alive.
Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders comes to select theaters and digital October 21st.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.