Pi (1998)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writers:

Darren Aronofsky (written by)
Darren Aronofsky (story) ...

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

faith in chaos

Plot:

A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.

Plot Keywords:

Mathematician | Headache | Stock Market | Computer | Mathematics

Awards:

9 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Sean Gullette	...	Maximillian Cohen
Mark Margolis	...	Sol Robeson
Ben Shenkman	...	Lenny Meyer
Pamela Hart	...	Marcy Dawson
Stephen Pearlman	...	Rabbi Cohen
Samia Shoaib	...	Devi
Ajay Naidu	...	Farrouhk
Kristyn Mae-Anne Lao	...	Jenna
Espher Lao Nieves	...	Jenna's Mom
Joanne Gordon	...	Mrs. Ovadia
Lauren Fox	...	Jenny Robeson
Stanley Herman	...	Moustacheless Man
Clint Mansell	...	Photographer
Tom Tumminello	...	Ephraim
Henri Falconi	...	Kaballah Scholar

Also Known As:

3,14159265358 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some disturbing images.

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Iceland:12 | Hungary:16 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Harvest Filmworks

Trivia:

Pi cost only $60,000 to make, most of which was raised in the form of individual $100 contributions from the director's friends and family. When it was later bought by Artisan Entertainment, each contributor got back a $150 return on their investment.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Max tells the Caballists that they've probably written down every 216 digit number. He must know this is impossible. Millions of supercomputers working since the Big Bang couldn't make a dent in writing down all the possibilities.

Quotes:

Sol Robeson: That is the truth of our world, Max. It can't be easily summed up with math.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Big Fat Independent Movie (2005)

Soundtrack:

Bucephalus Bouncing Ball

Cohesive, stylish and innovative

The predecessor to Requiem for a Dream, this is arguably more stylish and engaging. This is helped largely by the simply outstanding soundtrack. Aranovsky's use of a haunting yet modern score binds the movie together perfectly, aided by some fantastic cinematic techniques that disorientate the audience in time with the music. The character narration is also a great cohesive tool, with the deadpan delivery more than matching the tone of the piece. This film is not as beautiful as Requiem, nor does it have quite the same gutwrenching effect, but nonetheless, this is still some film. If you like your movies very hollywood then this is not for you; but if you like stylised innovation, then you have to watch this.