When a fearless American salesman plays hard ball with Russians in the Soviet Union over rights to a revolutionary computer and arcade game Tetris, it becomes a dangerous game of all or nothing.
Taron Egerton plays intense as the driven, mustachioed salesman, Henk Rogers who became part of an international incident during the last days of the Cold War. But there are several cartoonish villains as well as good guys who create serious situations in this game of international cat and mouse between Capitalists and Communists.
Once he played Tetris at a trade show in Las Vegas, Rogers was hooked and hellbent on obtaining the rights to publish the game on all formats. It was the dawn of the video game age and he wanted to get it to market on computers, in arcades and on yet to be released hand held devices.
What Henk didn’t know was that the creator was working in a Moscow state run computing bureau while his addictive game was an underground sensation in Russia. Rogers decides to meet the game maker, by just walking into Soviet government offices without any knowledge of protocol. So naive and innocent,Rogers finds out the hard way he has to play by the goofy rules of the communists.
He’s assigned an attractive female translator/minder, Sasha (Sofia Leaded). When Rogers finally gets to meet Tetris creator, Alexey Pazhitnov (Nikita Efremov). the tech inventor is cautious, but they slowly forge a friendship when they play and improve the game together.
As Rogers tries to get the rights to the game, he finds out he’s not the only one in the world pursuing same. Tension keeps building and the stakes are higher than money. It becomes a dangerous game for Rogers, Alexey and their families with dire consequences from the corrupt Soviets for both of them.
The players involved in this contest to acquire the rights are a cast of somewhat ludicrous characters playing down and dirty . The arch villain is a dishonest, controlling maniacal Russian Valentin Trifonov (Igor Grabuzov) who is so rigid and scary, he’s chilling. Then there’s the English media baron, the rotund Robert Maxwell (Roger Allam) who makes Rupert Murdock look like a choir boy, Maxwell’s equally nasty sneering son, Kevin Maxwell (Anthony Boyle), and the smarmy go-between dealer, Robert Stein (Toby Jones). This is a game of constant double cross that is confusing but fascinating. It’s a matter of life and death, all over a computer game.
It’s fascinating how director John S. Baird and Writer Noah Pink structure the film using clever special effect animation in the style of the colorful game blocks melting away to reveal the actual cinematography. They use the technique to advance from one segment to another. But we think they may have taken it too far when in the exciting climactic chase scene when real cars are transformed into game pieces racing on the screen. Though creative, it seems to trivialize the danger for Rogers and Alexey and what was at stake.
Whether you have ever played Tetris or not, this film shows how something as basic as a popular video game can play a part in an international incident. But the friendship Rogers and Alexey began then, is still going strong. This thriller has a lot going for it; Political conspiracies, international competition, and tech industry maneuvering still in play today. International intrigue and technology are now a regular part of our lives and the news cycle. All you have to do is say “Tik Tok”.
Apple TV + 1 hour 58 minutes R
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