Few Hollywood satires have come close to matching the brilliance of The Player. Robert Altman not only pokes fun at the moviemaking world, but also delivers a taut, skilfully crafted thriller - complete with numerous cameo appearances (Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Anjelica Huston et al).
The film which really put Robbins' name on the map, he's superb here as beleaguered studio exec Griffin Mill, troubled with both a crumbling career and death threats from a mysterious screenwriter. After a slow build-up (which includes the terrific eight-minute, single-take opening shot), the fun really starts when Mill resorts to desperate measures to save both his career and his life, helped along by the crazed double act of Dean Stockwell and Grant, and Whoopi Goldberg's wackily eccentric cop. A modern classic.
