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Goodbye ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ Ben Affleck’s Heist Thriller Is Now Officially Streaming
Ben Affleck’s 2000 heist thriller *Reindeer Games* is now streaming on Paramount+, after previously being available only to rent. The film was a commercial and critical failure, but its outlandish plot and the presence of director John Frankenheimer have prompted calls to give it another look.
Affleck plays an ex-con who impersonates his dead cellmate and becomes entangled in a casino robbery planned by the cellmate’s girlfriend’s brother, played by Gary Sinise. Charlize Theron and Dennis Farina also star; the story piles on double-crosses, a frozen-lake shootout and Santa suits. Frankenheimer said more than 20 minutes were cut to secure an R rating, while Theron later called the film a disaster.
In short
- *Reindeer Games* is now streaming on Paramount+.
- Ben Affleck stars in the twist-filled 2000 heist thriller.
- Director John Frankenheimer’s film became a critical and commercial failure.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The case for revisiting Reindeer Games is that a film’s poor reception need not settle its value for every viewer. Its unusually twist-heavy plot, eccentric set pieces and John Frankenheimer’s direction may make it an entertaining or intriguing example of a director working in a different mode, especially now that streaming makes it easy to sample.
The case against
The case against giving it renewed attention is that its commercial and critical failure may reflect real shortcomings, and the people involved have themselves described the production or finished film in negative terms. Its convoluted plot and extreme scenes may strike viewers as overdone rather than entertaining, so its availability does not by itself make it worth their time.
Explained simply
Reindeer Games is a crime thriller directed by John Frankenheimer, whose career also included films such as The Manchurian Candidate. Ben Affleck plays an ex-con who takes on the identity of his dead prison cellmate, drawing him into a planned casino robbery.
The main cast includes Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron and Dennis Farina. The film’s plot involves shifting loyalties and an elaborate robbery, while its production was shaped by cuts made to meet an R rating in the United States.