Played

Okay, I got the screener at the video store I work at & thought the cast was interesting enough to give it a try. I've seen enough of these promos (especially from Lionsgate) to not expect much of a film, or more than a minute of each 'name' from the cover, so after reading some reviews here on IMDb I went in with low expectations.

Overall, I'd have to say I pleasantly surprised. Lots of nice little plot twists, several double-crosses, a few scenes of genuine suspense.

The movie centers around and features (newcomer?) Mick Rossi in almost every scene, and his performance only suffers in comparison to the more seasoned actors showing their stuff. He does a decent job as an unlucky little fish caught in a sea of meaner, bigger fish.

And the long list of 'guests' do a stand-out job of fleshing out their characters & keeping the story compelling. Val Kilmer is great as a dopey 'cleaner'; Vinnie Jones is nicely menacing as a crooked cop; Gabriel Byrne, in the few minutes of screen time he has, is perfect as an understated dark angel; Joanne Whalley is strangely enticing as a long-suffering but supportive ex-love interest. Anthony LaPaglia & (the great) Bruno Kirby, unfortunately, add little as tough LA detectives, but arguably they didn't have much to work with.

My only real problem would be the ending. One of those films that just kind of stops, and after so many little twists it would have been nice for something tighter to finish on.

If you're at all interested, and can find it cheap, don't be afraid to give it a try.

If you like 87 minutes of British actors dropping f-bombs over and over this is the film for you. Otherwise it's a pretty boring, pointless crime drama.

This is definitely scraping the barrel. The filming is more than substandard. Don't get me wrong, I am not into real pretty Hollywood cinematography and special effects for the sake of a good storyline. However the storyline is awfully weak and seems like so many of the films that were to come after "Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels". Just this one fails and fails miserably. The inclusion of some relatively well known actors must have been a coup for the Director and the film investors, as I am sure that most people would have been suckered into thinking that it must have some credibility. In the words of Dillon (Val Kilmer): Someone should have "Taco'd" this movie before release.

New contender for worst movie ever. Do not be misled by Val Kilmer's name appearing in the credits, he appears for all of one minute. Reminiscent of Executive Decision's posters who made it appear as though Steven Segal played a central role in the film (even though he disappeared after 5 minutes).

The film has no plot, no story, no point. Worst of all, it has no ending. To date I had listed U-Turn as worst movie ever, but I think Played has taken the bottom spot. It reads as a gangster thriller, but none of the scenes are backed up. They appear more like events that follow each other rather than integral parts of a story. No climax is built up, the love story is stated but never portrayed. Characters dart in and out before any portrayal is required. All in all a complete waste of time.

Best advice: DO NOT WATCH.

Just saw Played at a London screening. Although convoluted at times the many twists and turns in the story climax to a rewarding pay off.

Stand out performances: Val Kilmer is superb in that zany Kilmer way. Gabriel Byrne is not featured enough in Played but when he appears on screen his intensity is gripping.

The lead role is played by Mick Rossi who does a fine job and creates a character that you have empathy for right off the bat, at times he reminded me of a young Al Pacino.

His low key performance works well in a world of pop up colourful characters. Played with it's powerhouse cast and it's street cool is something to watch out for.