Playing God (1997)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Andy Wilson

Writer (WGA):

Mark Haskell Smith (written by)

Release Date:

17 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Joining this deadly underworld was easy. But getting out...deadly!

Plot:

Stripped of his medical license after performing an operation while high on amphetamines, famed LA surgeon...

Plot Keywords:

Surgeon | Doctor | Medical | Drugs | Drug Addiction

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Dr. Eugene Sands
Timothy Hutton	...	Raymond Blossom
Angelina Jolie	...	Claire
Michael Massee	...	Gage
Peter Stormare	...	Vladimir
Andrew Tiernan	...	Cyril
Gary Dourdan	...	Yates
John Hawkes	...	Flick
Will Stewart	...	Perry
Philip Moon	...	Casey
Pavel Lychnikoff	...	Andrei (as Pavel D. Lynchnikoff)
Tracey Walter	...	Jim
Sandra Kinder	...	Sue
Bill Rosier	...	Jerry
Keone Young	...	Mr. Ksi

Also Known As:

Playing Hero

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence, gore, pervasive language and some drug use.

Runtime:

94 min | Netherlands:91 min | Philippines:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Philippines:R-18 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Singapore:PG | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Poland:18

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Beacon Communications

Trivia:

David Duchovny plays a doctor asked by a criminal to help his friend. Duchovny says "He's dead." Pointing a gun at Duchovny, the criminal says, "Well, fix him!" Duchovny responds, "I'll see what I can do." Twenty years earlier, in A Bridge Too Far (1977), James Caan plays a soldier who takes a wounded comrade to a field doctor. After the doctor tells him his friend is dead, Caan points a gun at the doctor and insists that he look at his friend. The doctor replies, "I can give him a quick examination if you like."

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Dance music is mixed in too quietly during a club scene; you can clearly hear the actors' feet shuffling on the floor, yet they're all shouting at each other.

Quotes:

Eugene Sands: Sometimes in life, we are given a choice between being a slave in Heaven or a star in Hell. And Hell does not always look like Hell. On a good day, it can look a lot like LA.

Soundtrack:

Doc's Groove

Not half bad

Okay, truthfully, I saw the previews for this movie and thought to myself, what are the producers thinking? Hutton, Jolie, and DUCHOVNY? How could the monotoned actor possibly compete with Jolie's natural power on the screen? But surprisingly, the two had the kind of chemistry that showed intense caring without a kiss. Even David's humor matched up to Jolie's spark and fire. As for Hutton, he played the psycho very well, contrasting with David's calm delivery of life threatening situations. Overall, I was very impressed with the writing and character development. I gave it 8 stars.