MysteryDramaThrillerComedyCrime

The Player

- Everything you've heard is true!

A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?

Release Date : 1992-05-08

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Fine Line FeaturesAvenue PicturesSpelling EntertainmentAddis Wechsler Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Griffin Mill

Original Name : Tim Robbins

Gender : Male

Character Name : June Gudmundsdottir

Original Name : Greta Scacchi

Gender : Female

Character Name : Walter Stuckel

Original Name : Fred Ward

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective Avery

Original Name : Whoopi Goldberg

Gender : Female

Character Name : Larry Levy

Original Name : Peter Gallagher

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joel Levison

Original Name : Brion James

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bonnie Sherow

Original Name : Cynthia Stevenson

Gender : Female

Character Name : David Kahane

Original Name : Vincent D'Onofrio

Gender : Male

Character Name : Andy Civella

Original Name : Dean Stockwell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tom Oakley

Original Name : Richard E. Grant

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dick Mellen

Original Name : Sydney Pollack

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective DeLongpre

Original Name : Lyle Lovett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Celia

Original Name : Dina Merrill

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jan

Original Name : Angela Hall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sandy

Original Name : Leah Ayres

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jimmy Chase

Original Name : Paul Hewitt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Reg Goldman

Original Name : Randall Batinkoff

Gender : Male

Character Name : Steve Reeves

Original Name : Jeremy Piven

Gender : Male

Character Name : Whitney Gersh

Original Name : Gina Gershon

Gender : Female

Character Name : Frank Murphy

Original Name : Frank Barhydt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Marty Grossman

Original Name : Mike Kaplan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gar Girard

Original Name : Kevin Scannell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Witness

Original Name : Margery Bond

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective Broom

Original Name : Susan Emshwiller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Phil

Original Name : Brian Brophy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eric Schecter

Original Name : Michael Tolkin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carl Schecter

Original Name : Stephen Tolkin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Natalie

Original Name : Natalie Strong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Walter

Original Name : Peter Koch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Trixie

Original Name : Pamela Bowen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Rocco

Original Name : Jeff Celentano

Gender : Male

Character Name : Steve Allen

Original Name : Steve Allen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Richard Anderson

Original Name : Richard Anderson

Gender : Male

Character Name : René Auberjonois

Original Name : René Auberjonois

Gender : Male

Character Name : Harry Belafonte

Original Name : Harry Belafonte

Gender : Male

Character Name : Shari Belafonte

Original Name : Shari Belafonte

Gender : Female

Character Name : Karen Black

Original Name : Karen Black

Gender : Female

Character Name : Michael Bowen

Original Name : Michael Bowen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gary Busey

Original Name : Gary Busey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Robert Carradine

Original Name : Robert Carradine

Gender : Male

Character Name : Charles Champlin

Original Name : Charles Champlin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cher

Original Name : Cher

Gender : Female

Character Name : James Coburn

Original Name : James Coburn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cathy Lee Crosby

Original Name : Cathy Lee Crosby

Gender : Female

Character Name : John Cusack

Original Name : John Cusack

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brad Davis

Original Name : Brad Davis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paul Dooley

Original Name : Paul Dooley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Thereza Ellis

Original Name : Thereza Ellis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Peter Falk

Original Name : Peter Falk

Gender : Male

Character Name : Felicia Farr

Original Name : Felicia Farr

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kasia Figura

Original Name : Katarzyna Figura

Gender : Female

Character Name : Louise Fletcher

Original Name : Louise Fletcher

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dennis Franz

Original Name : Dennis Franz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Teri Garr

Original Name : Teri Garr

Gender : Female

Character Name : Leeza Gibbons

Original Name : Leeza Gibbons

Gender : Female

Character Name : Scott Glenn

Original Name : Scott Glenn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jeff Goldblum

Original Name : Jeff Goldblum

Gender : Male

Character Name : Elliott Gould

Original Name : Elliott Gould

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joel Grey

Original Name : Joel Grey

Gender : Male

Character Name : David Alan Grier

Original Name : David Alan Grier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Buck Henry

Original Name : Buck Henry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Anjelica Huston

Original Name : Anjelica Huston

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kathy Ireland

Original Name : Kathy Ireland

Gender : Female

Character Name : Steve James

Original Name : Steve James

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maxine John-James

Original Name : Maxine John-James

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sally Kellerman

Original Name : Sally Kellerman

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sally Kirkland

Original Name : Sally Kirkland

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jack Lemmon

Original Name : Jack Lemmon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Marlee Matlin

Original Name : Marlee Matlin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Andie MacDowell

Original Name : Andie MacDowell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Malcolm McDowell

Original Name : Malcolm McDowell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jayne Meadows

Original Name : Jayne Meadows

Gender : Female

Character Name : Martin Mull

Original Name : Martin Mull

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jennifer Nash

Original Name : Jennifer Nash

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nick Nolte

Original Name : Nick Nolte

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alexandra Powers

Original Name : Alexandra Powers

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bert Ramsen

Original Name : Bert Remsen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guy Remsen

Original Name : Guy Remsen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Patricia Resnick

Original Name : Patricia Resnick

Gender : Female

Character Name : Burt Reynolds

Original Name : Burt Reynolds

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jack Riley

Original Name : Jack Riley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Julia Roberts

Original Name : Julia Roberts

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mimi Rogers

Original Name : Mimi Rogers

Gender : Female

Character Name : Annie Ross

Original Name : Annie Ross

Gender : Female

Character Name : Alan Rudolph

Original Name : Alan Rudolph

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jill St. John

Original Name : Jill St. John

Gender : Female

Character Name : Susan Sarandon

Original Name : Susan Sarandon

Gender : Female

Character Name : Adam Simon

Original Name : Adam Simon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rod Steiger

Original Name : Rod Steiger

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joan Tewkesbury

Original Name : Joan Tewkesbury

Gender : Female

Character Name : Brian Tochi

Original Name : Brian Tochi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lily Tomlin

Original Name : Lily Tomlin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Robert Wagner

Original Name : Robert Wagner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ray Walston

Original Name : Ray Walston

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bruce Willis

Original Name : Bruce Willis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Marvin Young

Original Name : Marvin Young

Gender : Male

Character Name : Aaron Camp (uncredited)

Original Name : Ned Bellamy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Funeral Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Steve Fuji

Gender : Male

Character Name : Althea Gibson (uncredited)

Original Name : Althea Gibson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Party Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Ted Hartley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jack (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Jason

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jogger (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Kney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jim the Writer (uncredited)

Original Name : James McLindon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ritchie Montgomery (uncredited)

Original Name : Ritchie Montgomery

Gender : Male

Character Name : Studio Mail Driver (uncredited)

Original Name : Derek Raser

Gender : Male

Character Name : Scott Shaw (uncredited)

Original Name : Scott Shaw

Gender : Male

Character Name : Patrick Swayze (uncredited)

Original Name : Patrick Swayze

Gender : Male

Character Name : Funeral Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Dan Twyman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Studio Executive (uncredited)

Original Name : Marina Zenovich

Gender : Female

Reviews

Filipe Manuel Neto

@FilipeManuelNeto

2024-06-09

**A remarkable work.** This is one of those films that I decided to watch without having a clear idea of what I was going to find. I know that there are many people who like to know, read and even watch the trailers to decide what to watch, and I also do this moderately, but one of the sensations I like most in the cinematic experience is surprise, that feeling of pleasure, difficult to describe, that happens when a film pleases us and surprises us. Of course, the opposite could happen, the surprise could be bad, and the film could be magnificent rubbish. It happens! But I think you understand me... Robert Altmann is not a director I know much about. As far as I remember, I've only seen one film of his, “Shortcuts”, and I wasn't particularly impressed. However, I think any director has their ups and downs, and you can't categorize anyone for just one film or two. In this film, Altmann surprises in a positive way, with very careful direction and an attention to detail that I was very pleased with. The cinematography is good, the editing is very well done, and the rhythm is quite pleasant, with no dead moments. The opening scene is a true cinematic masterclass, with almost ten minutes without cuts and lots of camera movement. And throughout the film, the feeling that prevails is that we are led to peek, in secret, into a story that no one wants to be known. The script fits perfectly into this feeling of secrecy, taking us behind the scenes of the film industry through the hands of an arrogant and obnoxious producer who finds himself the target of anonymous death threats. He decides to question the person he suspects of, a screenwriter he ignored for many months, and ends up killing him. From then on, viewers are invited to follow him in his attempts to hide everything, along with the studio he works for, which has little interest in scandals. This is, obviously, a punch in the stomach of the Hollywood industry, where there is no shortage of unscrupulous, arrogant, pedantic, obnoxious people, willing to do anything for ambition, and where the moral conduct of the studios has not always been the most immaculate, preferring to ignore and /or hush up compromising situations whenever possible. With these characteristics, the film had everything to cause hives in many people within the industry. However, it did surprisingly well, garnered a lot of praise, a good box office and was nominated for three Oscars, continuing to be, even today, a film that is regularly shown on TV channels specializing in films. If the technical quality and the intelligent and scathing story are fundamental, the cast also contributed with the union of talents of several renowned actors. Tim Robbins leaves us with one of his most notable works as an actor, with a consistent and impactful acting, and is elegantly accompanied by Greta Scacchi who, in addition to resisting the idiotic idea of appearing naked for no reason, knew how to interpret her character in a deep and controversial. In addition to them, the film also features good performances by Pater Gallagher and Whoopi Goldberg in minor characters, and with a veritable rain of cameos and brief appearances by actors, screenwriters and others, playing themselves, with many of them agreeing to donate the salary for that single day of filming for a social project at the time. The procession of notables is almost endless, making this film perhaps the American film with the most cameos and guest stars in the history of commercial cinema.

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2025-03-05

It’s the job of “Griffin” (Tim Robbins) to secure good storylines for his Hollywood studio and he’s good at filtering out the wheat from the chaff. The thing is, though, he’s getting on a bit and there are rumours abounding that he is on his way out. When “Levy” (Peter Gallagher) arrives from an erstwhile competitor, the writing looks more like it’s on the wall than on the page. He’s also been having some difficulties with a mysterious stalker whom he’s spurned, professionally, at some stage and who is now bombarding him with threatening postcards. Finally, there’s his more off than on relationship of convenience with “Bonnie” (Cynthia Stevenson) to which he is surprisingly indifferent. Under pressure and under siege, his tormentor starts to get under his skin so he determines to get to the bottom of that whilst cleverly manoeuvring his new rival into a cul-de-sac that can only end one way! What now ensues sees a plethora of genuine stars pepper a film that allows Robbins to show us a character that’s shrewd, ruthless and charmingly shallow whilst at the same time not averse to taking drastic measures. It’s those that attract the attentions of tenacious detective “Avery” (Whooping Goldberg) who has a dead body, nobody to pin it on and is curious about the burgeoning relationship between the girlfriend of the deceased (Greta Scacchi) and this outwardly brash and smarmy film executive. This has all the ingredients of a comedy thriller with loads of glamour, a good deal of pithy dialogue and it sends up the Hollywood mentality satirically and plausibly. Robbins is in his element and exudes a sort of selfish obnoxiousness that’s actually quite likeable as he treads on the eggshells of a fickle and unforgiving business. It packs a lot of story into two hours, raises a smile and an heckle in equal measure and is probably Robbins’s best performance to date.