Blu-ray Review: TAG: THE ASSASSINATION GAME (1982)

TAG:  THE ASSASSINATION GAME

Written & Directed by:  Nick Castle

Distributed by:  Synapse Films / MVD Entertainment

  If the name Nick Castle rings a bell for you, it's because you probably know him as the actor who played Michael Myers in John Carpenter's 1978 classic, HALLOWEEN.   I hate to admit it, but I had no idea he was a director as well.  In fact, he has 13 films he is listed as the director of on his IMDb page.   A lot of these are comedies, including one of my favorites, MAJOR PAYNE.   I guess I don't pay attention to the credits of films much, or maybe I just forgot, but I certainly didn't remember he directed that one!   

  Castle's directorial career began with the subject of today's review.   1982's "TAG:  THE ASSASSINATION GAME".  Here the basic plot synopsis from the Synapse Film's website:

  Before the majority of 1980s college movies were all about nudity, slapstick comedy, beer bongs and bad decisions, TAG: The Assassination Game gave this genre a killer twist. In this 1982 film noir-inspired gem, a group of students turns dorm life into a mock battle royale by playing a game that could never be done on campuses of today.  The rules of TAG are simple. Players try to “murder” each other using rubber-tipped toy dart guns. If you are shot, you are “killed” and taken out of the game permanently until only one player remains. Unfortunately for this year’s TAG players, one sore loser is determined to win at any cost, even if it means murdering his competition for real!

  Let me start off by saying this was an extremely fun film!   I know it doesn't seem like a movie about a psycho killing off college kids should be described as "fun", but it is done in way that it just is.  The film doesn't take itself seriously, and there is some dark humor throughout the film that lightens the mood.  

  What starts as a simple game of campus tag using rubber darts, descends into something more when the reigning champ, Loren Gersh" gets "killed" in a way he felt was unfair.  This infuriates Gersh to the point that he takes "The Assassination Game" moniker to heart, and he trades in his rubber darts for real bullets!  

  Gersh does a good job of hiding his killings.   My favorite was when he was under the bleachers that his next target was sitting on watching track and field practice.  He times his shot perfectly with the starting pistol the coach shoots to start the race, so no one notices his kill!  

 

  Something else that was so much fun about this film, was seeing actors I knew from other films, but really hadn't seen in many other films.   Robert Carradine plays the lead role in TAG.  I pretty much only know his as Lewis Skolnick from the REVENGE OF THE NERDS films.   Linda Hamilton plays the other lead, and we all know her from her many films, but I mainly know her from TERMINATOR 2, of course.  The part of Loren Gersh is played by Bruce Abbott, of RE-ANIMATOR fame. 

  This is a very unique films as it's hard to categorize into one genre.  It's not truly a horror movie, although it does involve killing and shows dead bodies.  It is more action I would say, and a bit of a psychological thriller.  Throw in a love story with Carradine and Hamilton's characters and you truly have a film that has something for everyone in it!

  TAG: THE ASSASSINATION GAME is available now on Blu-ray and contains the following Special Features:

*  Audio Commentary with Director Nick Castle and star Robert Carradine

*  Original Theatrical Trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from Synapse Films

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment