This week's movie is Reindeer Games, a sort of action/drama starring Ben Affleck as Rudy Duncan, an ex-car thief who is only days from being released. Nick, Rudy's cellmate, is also to be released at the same time, and looks forward to finally meeting his penpal Ashley, played by Charlize Theron. Unfortunately, a routine food fight erupts into a full-fledged riot and Nick is killed protecting Rudy.

Morose and guilty, Rudy leaves prison and finds Ashley waiting for Nick. In one of those moves that you really can't fault, although it brought a lot of boos from the crowd, Rudy decides to impersonate Nick and goes with Ashley. For the next day or two Ashley and Rudy start to bond a bit, making Rudy feel quite guilty, but not enough for him to confess.

Enter Ashley's brother, Gabriel, played by Gary Sinise. Gabriel and his three friends are gun runners who are tired of the road and want to make one big score so they can retire in style. From Nick's old letters to Ashley, they've found out that Nick used to work at a local indian casino, which has particularly lax security Christmas Eve. They need Nick to provide them with the information they need to pull of the heist.

Meanwhile, Rudy goes from trying to admit that he's not Nick, to finally accepting the fact that he has to be Nick or Gabriel will just dispose of him. And what about Ashley? Is she part of this whole setup or is she really in love with Nick? And what about Rudy's growing feelings for Ashley? All this and more as the hero somehow helps pull off the robbery and get away in one piece.

What's good about this movie? It actually has a few surprises, not being a simple action film. The action is subdued, with the story being more focused on Rudy and this mess he's gotten himself into. Affleck, Sinise, Theron, and Dennis Farina (playing the indian casino manager) all put in good jobs in their roles.

Ben Affleck does not quite make a good, hard convict. He looks too nice and doesn't have the voice for it. In this role he wasn't really supposed to be a tough convict, although at times Rudy is. Mostly Rudy is not much of a fighter and somewhat a coward, but eventually he takes a few chances once he figures out he doesn't have any choices left. Affleck is a good match for that type of character, and you feel he should have a second chance at a normal life.

Gary Sinise also puts in a good performance as a slightly desperate criminal, someone who knows his limitations and knows he needs help to pull it all off. But he's also ruthless, and awfully annoyed every time Rudy doesn't cooperate like he's supposed to. In this movie Sinise looks the part of a ruthless, yet not beefy criminal. One who's malicious but not a bully.

Charlize Theron is getting better as an actress, although this movie doesn't have enough of a role for the Ashley character for her to show what she has. There is a nude scene which again I didn't think was necessary. Someday maybe I'll get used to them. Otherwise she has a nice smile and looks good in a ski jacket.

So for my recommendations, if you're looking for an action movie then something more like Pitch Black is more appropriate. If you want to see more of a romantic comedy then try The Whole Nine Yards. If you want a good drama I suggest Girl, Interrupted. If you want to see Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron, and/or Gary Sinise then this is a fairly good movie to see them perform. Good performances, good story, but somehow I don't feel like it's a must see movie, although I did enjoy it quite a bit.