Pi . Tucson Weekly . 09-08-98

DIRECTED BY: Darren Aronofsky

REVIEWED: 09-08-98

A New York mathematician searches for a number that, when placed in a formula, can effectively predict the ebb and flow of the stock market. In the process, he may just be discovering the secret to life and God--by way of Wall Street, Hebrew scripture, spiral patterns, and the ancient game of Go. Darren Aronofsky produced this audaciously premised first feature on the tiniest of budgets, but he gets the most out of his settings by using gritty black-and-white photography, smart editing and high-contrast lighting. And dig that techno music soundtrack! In addition to technical savvy, Aronofsky also proves himself a first-rate director of ideas, effectively communicating the kinds of connective concepts that might be more at home in a book like The Tao of Physics than on the screen. It's too bad, then, that Aronofsky decided to reduce Pi's second half to a neat little plot. He throws ideas on the back burner and instead opts for chase scenes and insanity. Consequently, lead actor Sean Gullette, whose hand shakes even more violently than that of Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan, totally freaks out. Then the Robert DeNiro Rules take over: If there is hair, you must shave it; if there is a mirror, you must punch it; if there is a drill, you must use it on your skull; and so on. It's a silly finale for an otherwise stimulating film.

--Woodruff

Full Length Reviews
Pi
Pi
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Pi

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