Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

masercot The movie didn't seem to have a lot going for it. A non-actor in the lead role. The fact that it was from 1919. I wanted to watch a few minutes for historical purposes, then turn to another show. However...The movie wasn't bad. Admittedly, people were uglier back in 1919, almost deformed. Houdini would've never worked in film twenty years later. But, the man was a celebrity then.The plot is kind of silly, but one that has been used since: A fake kidnapping turns into a real murder. Houdini's character happily leaves evidence implicating himself thinking it was harmless; then, the "victim" is found dead. Suddenly, he's on the run! The escapes in the movie don't seem like special effects. In one handcuff escape, the man dislocates his thumbs to slide off the bracelets. Somehow, he ends up in a straight-jacket, hanging upside down from a rope, coincidentally just like a stunt he performed in New York.The big scene with the biplanes is pretty thrilling because these were real planes and real stuntmen. One plane actually crashed during the making of this film In short, it was compelling enough to sit through the entire movie when I never intended to.

robertguttman Originally made in 1919 and long thought lost, this recently-restored full-length movie features the legendary Harry Houdini, performing the sort of escapes for which he was celebrated in his own time and is still famous even today. For that reason alone, this film deserves 10- out-of-10. Since his death in 1924 many magicians and escape artists have striven to replicate the incredible things Houdini did, and many of his feats have still not been done. Those expecting subtle characterization or modern production values need to look elsewhere. However, for those with an appreciation of something absolutely unique, something that simply cannot be duplicated today, this film is truly priceless.

ellebrennan From Houdini.org:Magicians Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz, from the Houdini Museum in Scranton, PA, tell the story of the finding and restoration of the long lost Houdini silent movie from 1919, "The Grim Game". Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz from The Houdini Museum in Scranton, PA revealed, "The film has not been shown to the general public for 96 years. This was one of the most sought after items in Houdini History. It has been considered the Holy Grail of Houdini history!" Houdini's movie "The Grim Game" made in 1919, has been unavailable until now and has been considered lost by film historians. Brookz commented, "The only complete copy of the film was hidden in the collection of juggler, magician, Houdini collector Larry Weeks. Dorothy and Dick had kept a friendly relationship with Larry Weeks and that is what helped to make this happen. Larry Weeks called himself "Houdini's biggest fan" and amassed a Houdini collection. He had the only known print of Houdini's lost film, "The Grim Game." He was known to show it at various occasions in his life time. It is the best of Houdini's five films. Dick Brookz commented "Over the years Larry invited us to see the film on two occasions. He found it odd and incomprehensible when I, Dick Brookz, told him that some magicians berated him for hoarding the movie that he preserved over the years at great personal cost." We called Larry Weeks on his private number and told him about our desire to have the film restored. It took several calls and over two weeks to convince Larry to meet with a go-between. Larry finally agreed and gave us permission to pass along Larry's number. A meeting was set up and he arranged to acquire the film for Turner Classic Movies who he done a job for. He then put the pieces together to pick up the film, have a company restore it and Turner Classic paid to also add an original movie score. The wonderful thing is that the film content is complete, although it required a lot of work by the restoration company. Just prior to this time we had spoken with Larry several times and he informed us of his rapidly diminishing health so time was of the essence. The deal was made!" The last time we spoke to Larry after the deal he said to us "Thanks, enjoy the film. The next time you will see me I will be in a box!" Larry Weeks died October 13, 2014, before the public would get news of the acquisition on January 23, 2015. Many years ago Larry Weeks had bought a plot in the same cemetery as close as possible to Houdini and is buried there. The restored film has a musical score composed by Brane Zivkovic an award winning film, television, and theatre composer. This was all done with financial help from Turner Classic Movies, who premiered it as the climax at the 2015 4 day TCM Classic Film Festival Sunday, March 29, 2015, in Hollywood to resounding praise and approval. It was the finale of the event.

MartinHafer I recently saw this as a DVD extra included with the film HALDANE OF THE SECRET SERVICE. Both films star Harry Houdini but THE GRIM GAME is only a film fragment today--the rest of it no longer exists. While I have enjoyed the reviews of both reviewers who have already reviewed this film, I really must agree with CryFi's review--and it reflects that most of the original film is gone AND gives nice information about the film.As for me, I can't see giving the fragment anything more than a 3. Although the clip is pretty good, there really isn't a coherent story and it is really just an excuse by Houdini and the film makers to use some accidental footage involving an air tragedy. It is funny to realize that Houdini took credit for the mid-air stunts he didn't even perform.This film is essentially a curio for history teachers, magic lovers and film historians. It is NOT a film that is coherent or worth seeking out because it only is a piece of a longer film.