{"id":3303,"date":"2014-09-15T11:45:55","date_gmt":"2014-09-15T11:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=3303"},"modified":"2014-09-15T11:45:55","modified_gmt":"2014-09-15T11:45:55","slug":"a-dangerous-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/documentary\/a-dangerous-game\/","title":{"rendered":"A Dangerous Game ****"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"a-dangerous-game\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first thought that pops into the mind watching filmmaker Anthony Baxter\u2019s follow-on film to You\u2019ve Been Trumped<\/em> (2011), A Dangerous Game<\/em> is, can there really be that many people needing to play golf on Planet Earth? The rest is a powerful expose of the usual greed, arrogance and miscommunication that such documentaries are so apt at stoking. This second film is no exception, with the filmmakers getting right under the international skin while tussling Donald Trump\u2019s quiff once more. It\u2019s as thrilling at getting the wealthy\u2019s back up as it is educational and genuinely concerning.<\/p>\n

In A Dangerous Game<\/em> \u2013 doubling up as a nickname for \u2018golf\u2019 here, Baxter and team (writer Richard Phinney) go up against other corporate \u2018villains\u2019, picking up where the previous film\/investigation left off, including revisiting at the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. They also delve into the effects a proposed luxury golf course development \u00ad\u2013 complete with swanky \u2018Grand Design-styled\u2019 housing \u2013\u00a0will have on the surrounding hilly and drought-stricken terrain above Dubrovnik in Croatia.<\/p>\n

This is not meant to be a \u2018rich bashing\u2019 exercise of haves verses have-nots, but there is a real sense of that; let\u2019s face it, if you had the chance to put a hole in one in lush green surroundings and then retire of an evening to a poolside house just off the course, wouldn\u2019t you at least entertain the idea, before responsibility and reality kicked back in? Baxter and co are not trying to be righteous here rather point out the facts. They do a great job of filling in those who haven\u2019t seen the 2011 film, as well as presenting the scientific and social consequences of developing the land \u2013 the science always convinces.<\/p>\n

What is highly topical with the Scottish Independence vote around the corner is the Menie Estate is in the First Minister Alex Salmond\u2019s constituency \u2013 he who decided not to comment for this film. Ironically, it\u2019s like a Unionist\u2019s dream documentary without consciously meaning to be. But the real anger is still directed at Trump, the folk devil of corporate malaise. It\u2019s also what fans of the first have been waiting for \u2013 the sequel of Trump v Baxter. And it\u2019s worth waiting for, Baxter\u2019s contained dignity at Trump\u2019s arrogance. What\u2019s more fascinating to observe this time around is a paranoid Trump as Baxter has grown into \u201ca much more important person\u201d (patronising and daft indeed).<\/p>\n

Without revealing more, in brief, A Dangerous Game<\/em> explores the widening gap between the rich and the poor \u2013 using golf developments as its example. It does so in an incriminating fashion, without sensationalising (considering there is a lot of shocking political manoeuvring to be found this time). Baxter\u2019s second film is a satisfactory sequel to what the filmmaker began. However, it\u2019s not him but the above fundamental issue that\u2019s \u201cmuch more important\u201d as we are made aware of not being complacent about the power of the little person. Things can be changed in a David and Goliath battle.<\/p>\n

4\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

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