The Player
1992
****½
Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Lyle Lovett, Fred Ward, Richard E. Grant, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Brion James, Cynthia Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dean Stockwell
After reacting to anonymous death threats from a disgruntled writer, a ruthless studio boss gets entangled in a web of murder and deceit, while he tries to maintain his position in the cutthroat world of Hollywood. Robert Altman's superb satire on Hollywood kicks off with a long and elaborate tracking shot about long and elaborate tracking shots, and it goes on from there. The film is clever and funny, and so is the film within the film. A huge number of movie stars appear in small roles or as themselves. Michael Tolkin scripted from his own 1988 novel.
