Underplayed Gems

The Player (1992)

The Player poster
Directed by
Robert Altman
Genre
drama film, crime film
Country
United States
Runtime
2h 04m
Rated
R
Rating
7.2 of 10 from 959 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A Hollywood studio executive receives anonymous death threats and kills a screenwriter he suspects is responsible. The film follows his attempts to cover up the crime while navigating the industry's culture of power and paranoia.

satiricalwrysuspensefulmetacynicalglamorousdarkly comictense

What happens

The Player is a 1992 American satirical black comedy neo-noir mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Michael Tolkin, based on his 1988 novel. The film stars Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Brion James and Cynthia Stevenson, and is the story of a Hollywood film studio executive who kills an aspiring screenwriter he believes is sending him death threats. The Player has many film references and Hollywood in-jokes, with 65 celebrities making cameo appearances in the film. Altman once stated that the film "is a very mild satire," offending no one. The film received three nominations at the 65th Academy Awards: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. The film also won two Golden Globes, Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and Best Actor – Comedy or Musical for Robbins. Although the film did not receive any acting nominations, the film is notable for having more Oscar-nominated actors than any other film, with 24. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.