The Player (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

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A Hollywood studio executive with a shaky moral compass (The Shawshank Redemption s Tim Robbins) finds himself caught up in a criminal situation that would fit right into one of his movie projects, in this biting industry satire from Robert Altman (Short Cuts). Mixing elements of film noir with sly insider comedy, The Player, based on a novel by Michael Tolkin, functions as both a nifty stylish murder story and a commentary on its own making, and it is stocked with a heroic supporting cast (Peter Gallagher, Whoopi Goldberg, Greta Scacchi, Dean Stockwell, Fred Ward) and a lineup of star cameos that make for an astonishing Hollywood who s who. This complexly woven grand entertainment (which kicks off with one of American cinema s most audacious and acclaimed opening shots) was the film that marked Altman s triumphant commercial comeback in the early 1990s.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES 
– New 4K digital restoration, with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 surround soundtrack
– Audio commentary from 1992 featuring director Robert Altman, writer Michael Tolkin, and cinematographer Jean Lépine
– Interview with Altman from 1992
– New interviews with Tolkin and production designer Stephen Altman
– Cannes Film Festival press conference from 1992 with cast and crew
– The Player at LACMA, a short documentary about the shooting of the film s fund-raiser scene
– Map to the Stars, a gallery dedicated to the cameo appearances in the film
– Deleted scenes and outtakes
– The film s opening shot, with alternate commentaries by Altman, Lépine, and Tolkin
– Trailers
– More
– PLUS: An essay by author Sam Wasson