Surviving the Game (1994)

• Rated R: Strong violence and language
• 96 mins
• SD
• I rated it 4 stars (Really Liked It)

Initial Thoughts: 
This one was one of Netflix's recommendations, and with Ice-T and Gary Busey in it, it's bound to be awesome. The box art looks corny and leaves a lot to be desired, so I'm not totally sure this is gonna be worth it. 

Movie:
The film begins with Ice-T as a dread locked homeless man down on his luck (though I wonder how many homeless people are up on there luck). He does have a loyal dog to take the sting out of life, but the dog dies within a few minutes of the opening credits. Fido's funeral is the last straw and he's seconds away from walking into oncoming traffic. At the last minute, Ice-T is safe and has a job offer...

Fast forward to the wilderness; it's so wild the only way in is a chartered plane. T is informed that his new job will basically being a valet for a bunch of rich guys at a hunting lodge.

The night before the "hunt" is by far the best part of the film. Busey gives a long soliloquy on how his father ushered him into manhood. Rewound and watched it twice, seriously it's that good.

The day of the hunt, T is startled awake; he's the prey. The rich white guys pick up street tramps and hunt them down for sport. T is off and running with no supplies or transportation. The hunters have high-powered rifles and quads.

Once in the woods, T morphs into Rambo and starts taking the hunters out one by one. Sadly Busey dies. At points in this sequence, you're reminded why this movie never won an Oscar.

T wins, obviously. Along the way he recaptures what made him a decent and productive citizen. So you could say, his old smelly self died out in the woods, and a new awesome side was reborn.

Afterthoughts:

The film is not bad. Not great, but worth a watching -- but maybe only once. Good for a few laughs, but the real gold is in the scenes right before the hunt. Busey is amazing in this movie. Good to see he wasn't always a degenerate.