The Player

source: The Player

It is so rare that I would slam a movie so hard. That is for one reason. I am an avid IMDB user ratings viewer, and choose movies accordingly. I was looking forward to watching this movie, with its reasonably high rating, and siskel and ebert (is that how you spell it?)giving it two thumbs up. This movie is a SOLID 5. There are no half points in my land, and even if there were - it would be a solid 5. While the story line was original, the movie was boring. It wasn't predictable and yet, it wasn't entertaining. It could have been much, much better. I tell no lies, this movie, is exactly that, a blah-di-blah-blah waste of two hours. if you want a good mystery movie, check out Chinatown - it was a great movie, and is far superior to "The Player"

Tim Robbins is in top form, surrounded by dozens of walk ons. Probably more recognizable actors in this film than any other. Sheer numbers cannot hide the fact that if you want to know how a movie studio is run, then this is your film. If you want to be entertained beyond all the "in jokes", then "The Player" is one to avoid. This would not be the first time Altman has missed his target either. I should have listened to my instinct that this would be annoyingly artsy. The basic story promotes characters, who to the average movie patron, seem like nothing more than pompous asses. This certainly is no classic, as others have suggested. In fact it is nothing more than a very thin murder plot wrapped around unlikable characters. MERK

The Player is superb, and the opening shot should have been the subject of documentaries. How many rehearsals were there? The Player relaunched Altman's career, and he never looked back for sure. The cameos are entertaining, with appearances by Malcolm McDowell and Andie McDowell. It's a shame Roddy wasn't available.

Is this a comedy, a drama, black comedy...? Some consider it satire, but although it is based in Hollywood, the basic plot could be transferred to any other jurisdiction, any other industry, or none. Our hero/anti-hero is receiving threatening missives from someone he has slighted, the question is, who? He thinks he has worked out the mystery man's identity, so goes to confront him. The prime suspect is unhinged and very likely the perp, but they come to blows in a dark street, and he ends up killing him. You know what happens next, another threatening message arrives. And although the death of the unfortunate innocent was passably manslaughter or at worst second degree murder, the police are investigating it as murder one, and he is clearly in the frame, even if at first they pretend he is simply a witness. There is a bit more to it than that, but not a lot. Read whatever you like into "The Player", but it is a quite unexceptional film.

This film is about a top executive in a Hollywood studio being threatened by a series of postcards. He kills his suspect accidentally, and his life is never the same again. "The Player" is somewhat engaging and thrilling, but that is not the main selling point of the film. I find the interaction between the characters more interesting. The movie executives are portrayed to be egocentric and two faced. They never have time for anyone. The passionless interaction between Griffin and Bonnie is the most memorable. I am also impressed by the number of cameos in the film. It is almost like watching a who's who! On my Hong Kong version VCD of the film, it lists the stars as Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, Whoopi Goldberg and Tim Robbins. It turns out that Julia Roberts' role is a cameo lasting for two minutes, while Bruce Willis' role is a minute shorter than that. I know it is not the fault of the American studio, but I was disappointed by the deliberate misleading information on the cover.

A Hollywood studio executive (Tim Robbins) is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one? We start with the opening tracking shot, which is really an achievement. Not record-setting, but still pretty fantastic. Then for the next two hours, we get an amazing list of cameos. This does make it rather unusual when the actors were not playing themselves, however. Why is Julia Roberts herself but Tim Robbins is not? Does Tim Robbins exist in this world? Regardless, the film offers great roles for Vincent D'Onofrio and Lyle Lovett. Lovett is a natural quirky police officer, and D'Onofrio is a top-notch actor when in the right role. This may be one of his top three performances. The movie ushered in a new period of filmmaking for Altman, who continued on to the epic adaptation of Raymond Carver's short stories, "Short Cuts" (1993). Those two combined really gave Altman a solid third act, after his disappointing decade of the 1980s.

" Show biz kids making movies of themselves , you know they don't give a **** about anybody else .". Dated, predictable , obvious and very,very tedious . If you're a fan of Hollywood junk and have no idea of what a desperate, corrupt and self-obsessed industry produces your escapist pap ; if you want to see endless montages of sets laden with movie stars ; if you've given up thinking - then this is for you.

"The Player", Robert Altman's skewering of the movie industry, is yet another of his spot-on black comedies. One is reminded of "Nashville" where he turned his sights on the country music industry and politics. Now his victim is the industry in which he toils. Altman provides a multi-layered view of the film industry from the point of view of the executives that run it, particularly those that have the responsibility for approving movie projects. If Altman is accurate, they are a cold, bloodless, bunch, capable of anything to get movie viewers into their seats. Altman is aided by a great ensemble cast (isn't he always?) and delivers the goods. "The Player" is one of his best and is highly recommended for an enjoyable Saturday night rental.