Steve Miller (Eric Presnall) is a former L.A.P.D. street cop who traded the mean streets of Los Angeles for what he thought would be a calmer daily life in the office of an advertising agency. He quickly learns that there's more than a little of the "street" behind the professional facade of his advertising agency, a facade that fades even more when a glamorous new kid, Mark Richfield (Gregor Cosgrove) joins the firm and in short order gains the upper hand for a high-ranking job. Filled with jealousy, the tension rises and finally boils over after a team-building exercise in the Santa Fe desert doesn't go quite as planned. The two men share a night of passion, a night followed by Steve's wrong assumption that Mark is gay when he's due to be married in just one month.

Torn between a passionate love and a passionate hatred for one another, the two men must make major life decisions that will forever change everything for both of them.

Written and produced by award-winning author G.A. Hauser, herself a former patrol officer with the Seattle, Washington Police Department, Capital Games is an occasionally involving and occasionally maddening film featuring characters from Hauser's acclaimed Action! Series.

Almost everything that is truly involving about Capital Games comes from Hauser herself, a gifted writer with a strong ability to develop compelling characters and to script believable dialogue. While the set-up for the story isn't particularly original, Hauser breathes life into it by creating an interesting story and building authentic relationships.

Unfortunately, the film doesn't quite live up to the standards of Hauser's story mostly due to a hit-and-miss cast and original music, credited to Leandro Gaetan and John Turner, that never quite feels like it has landed in the right film. On the flip side, D.P. Peter Borosh's lensing fits the film quite nicely and Janelle Ciaccio's production design nicely captures the film's intense and intimate moments.

Capital Games is Hauser's first foray into film. While it's not an entirely successful effort, it's promising enough that one can only look forward to her next venture. Here's hoping her partnership with Breaking Glass Pictures is a long and prosperous one and we get to spend some more time with these characters.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic