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Released by: Warner Brothers
Released on: 7/20/2009
Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Tim Robbins, Vincent D'Onofrio
Year: 1992
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The Movie:
Based on the novel of the same name by writer Michael Tolkin, who also penned the screenplay, Robert Altman's The Player stars Tim Robbins as a man named Griffin Mill as a big shot studio executive whose job it is to approve or reject the screenplays and movie pitches that are sent the studio's way. He's a powerful player but he knows that his career isn't indestructible, particularly when a power play that occurs within the studio indicates that this time at the top may be coming to an end. He soon winds up on the wrong side of a writer (Vincent D'Onofrio) who starts sending him threatening post cards, hoping that he'll be able to settle the issue with a bribe, but this backfires and before you know it, he's being blackmailed. With his life in danger and his career on the line, Griffin has to work his way through the treachery of the Hollywood studio system of which he was once a player in, avoiding the cops (Whoopi Goldberg and Lyle Lovett) and anyone else he's suspicious of.
There's a lot more to the story than that basic plot synopsis alludes too, particularly if you're a movie fan. From the opening scene, a reference to Hitchcock's Rope, right through to the end, Altman's film is filled with clever movie references and guest appearances galore. Look for cameos from Rod Steiger, Malcolm McDowell, Dean Stockwell, Gina Gershon, Harry Belafonte, Karen Black, James Coburn, Peter Falk, Cher, Jeff Goldblum, Dennis Franz, Nick Nolte, Burt Reynolds, Patrick Swayze and Bruce Willis to name only a few. The cameos aren't as distracting as you might think, many of them occurring subtly in the background, but it does add a layer of amusement to an already very clever film that works on a few different levels.
On the surface there really isn't very much to the film, in terms of the complexity of its story at least, but it does do a good job of showing just how inconsequential most people are to the Hollywood machine. With Griffin literally hearing hundreds of pitches a day, most only a sentence or two long, the film shows us just how little most studios care about art and how much commerce rules the film industry. This makes references to classics like Rope and arthouse pictures like The Bicycle Thief sting just a bit, pointing out to the audience how the two can and do coexist at times but also how the industry tends to regurgitate what's come before and use the same ideas over and over again.
Altman's penchant for odd pacing and a strange tone are prominent here, but the film rewards attentive viewers with some clever insight into the movie industry. Robbins is great in the lead, playing the role with the appropriate mix of confusion and cunning, while supporting roles from Greta Scacchi and Fred Ward are welcome additions to the picture and flesh things out really well. It's not a picture for all tastes, some will complain about the pacing and the length, but Altman's fan base will absolutely appreciate the film he's crafted with The Player.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Player looks good in this 1.85.1 VC-1 encoded 1080p high definition anamorphic widescreen transfer, keep in mind that this movie was shot with a particularly soft look so you're not going to get the sort of revelatory detail that some Blu-ray transfers can offer. Color reproduction looks good and skin tones do as well, but there are quite a few scenes that are meant to look hazy and in soft focus and so they do. Detail and texture only look as good as the cinematography allows, but there are no problems with compression artifacts or edge enhancement to complain about.
The primary audio track is an English language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, though a standard definition Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is supplied in French with subtitles supplied in English SDH, French and Spanish. There aren't any problems to report here, though surround activity isn't as intense as it might be in a film that was more action oriented. The dialogue, which is the most important part of this movie, is clean and clear and the levels are well balanced. The music used in the film sounds nice and punchy, and you won't have any problems understanding the performers. Not demo material at all, but certainly perfectly acceptable, though honestly, a 2.0 mix probably would have suited the material just fine.
There aren't any new extras here, but Warner Brothers have carried over the commentary with director Robert Altman and writer Michael Tolkin. This is a pretty interesting discussion that covers bringing Toklin's original novel to the big screen, why Robbins was cast in the lead, and many of the film's themes. Altman is always an interesting guy and this commentary lets him talk quite candidly about the big studio movie business.
There's also a featurette included here called One On One With Robert Altman in which the director sheds further light on this particular picture. Aside from that, there are a few deleted scenes, the film's original theatrical trailer, menus and chapter stops. All of the extras on this disc are in standard definition.
The Final Word:
The Player is a fairly brilliant satire that feature some terrific performances and benefits from a clever, witty script and Altman's typically interesting directorial style. Warner's Blu-ray release offers up a faithful transfer and okay audio and carries over the extras from the DVD release, though it fails to add anything new to the package. Regardless, Altman fans will want this one, and for good reason, it really is a great movie.