Bored? Yes, thought so. This is the film link game. Any budding movie fan has a chance at this game - the glory is, the more movies you have seen, the more paths to glory (Intended Kubrick pun).
Start With Two Actors
Opponent picks two actors (alive or dead, doesn’t matter) and the contestant has to try to link them, film by film to each other. Structurally the game works thus [getting from Actor A to Actor C]; Actor A was in Film X with Actor B. Actor B was in Film Y with Actor C. Success, A and C have been linked.
A quick example. Say the opponent picks Joe Pesci and Keanu Reeves. The first step is to have a quick think and compile a mental list of all the films these two have been in and see if there are any more obvious paths. Or one could just blindly dive into the first film that comes to mind and see where it leads.
Goodfellas (1990) is the film first reached in this demonstration, obviously starring Pesci. This classic film features a menagerie of fantastic actors like Ray Liotta and a small role for Samuel L. Jackson, but Robert De Niro is the link choice here for this round.
Joe Pesci
Goodfellas
(Robert DeNiro)
A Bronx Tale (1993)
(Chazz Palminteri)
The Usual Suspects (1994)
(Kevin Spacey)
Seven (1995)
(Morgan Freeman)
Chain Reaction (1996)
Keanu Reeves
Rules And Regulation
Rules are there to be broken, but in Film Link game Judge Dredd will whoop ass if you do. Entrants must use just actors, no directors, writers or producers (usually directors use a few actors in numerous films). TV series are allowed also - situation comedies and drama/scfi series only though. For a slightly tougher game, you could add a third actor that has to be reached along the link chain.
If you reach a dead end, try starting from the other actor or picking a different key film at any point. Try picking films that have many famous actors in to widen your chances, e.g. Pulp Fiction (1994) True Romance (1993) or The Godfather (1972).
A Game With Longevity
To really wind up an opponent, you can pick obscure actors from by-gone eras or genres. To save being throttled by a frustrated combatant however, it is advised that the participant making the link must know at least one film each of the starting actors has been in.
The film link game is a great way to test your film trivia on journeys or out and about. It will relive memories of adored films and may even unearth films you would like to see or have seen but not for many, many years.
