Since winning a screenwriting Oscar along with pal Matt Damon, Ben Affleck has taken a different path than his friend. While Damon has concentrated on tough complex roles (Rounders, The Talented Mr. Ripley), Affleck has taken th opposite route choosing more commercial projects (Armageddon, Forces of Nature). There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, but maybe he's selling himself a bit short. After all, he was fantastic in Chasing Amy as well as Good Will Hunting. He follows his great turn in Dogma with the John Frankeneimer's actioneer Reindeer Games.

In Reindeer Games, Affleck plays an ex convict who gets involved with a woman (beauty Charlize Theron) the minute he gets out of jail. Unfortuantely, Theron's crazy brother (played entertainingly by manic Gary Sinise) trys to bully him into helping out on a casino heist.

The film was written by the recently in demand Ehren Kruger who started off promisingly with the high caliber paranoia thriller Arlington Road, then took a step back with the disapointing Scream 3. This time, Kruger seems to be more interested in plot twists than anything else. Things are never as they seem in this thriller that sort of combines the mood of film noir with the flavor of a standard, in your face action picture.

Frankenheimer has been in these waters before. He made the controversial Manchurian Candidate as well as Ronin. Wheras Ronin seemed to be much ado about nothing, Reindeer Games seems to be much ado about way too much.

In addition to the tedious plot twists, Affleck seems to be all wrong for this role. I could never buy him as a criminal. And although the surprise climax is most unexpected, it's also silly and completedly unbelievable. Reindeer Games tries to be much too hip and clever for it's own good and that, ultimately, is it's downfall.