Playing God (1997)

A disgraced surgeon leaves his former life and enters the criminal underworld as a gunshot doctor for criminals.

Director:

Andy Wilson

Writer:

Mark Haskell Smith

Stars:

David Duchovny, Timothy Hutton, Angelina Jolie

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Duchovny	...	Dr. Eugene Sands
Timothy Hutton	...	Raymond Blossom
Angelina Jolie	...	Claire
Michael Massee	...	Gage
Peter Stormare	...	Vladimir
Andrew Tiernan	...	Cyril
Gary Dourdan	...	Yates
John Hawkes	...	Flick
Will Stewart	...	Perry
Philip Moon	...	Casey
Pasha D. Lychnikoff	...	Andrei (as Pavel D. Lynchnikoff)
Tracey Walter	...	Jim
Sandra Kinder	...	Sue
Bill Rosier	...	Jerry
Keone Young	...	Mr. Ksi

Storyline

Stripped of his medical license after performing an operation while high on amphetamines, famed LA surgeon Dr Eugene Sands abandons his former life only to find himself crossing paths with Raymond Blossom, an infamous counterfeiter. Employed as a "gun-shot doctor" when Raymond's associates cannot risk visiting a hospital, Eugene is lured deep into the criminal world and becomes entangled with his boss's girlfriend.

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Plot Keywords:

antihero | car | envelope of money | federal bureau of investigation | federal bureau of investigation agent | 

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Taglines:

Power to heal. Power to kill. Hell to pay.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic violence, gore, pervasive language and some drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

17 October 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Playing Hero

Filming Locations:

6th Street Viaduct, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,937,374, 19 October 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$4,052,347, 9 November 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beacon Communications, Beacon Pictures, Club Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Triangles are featured throughout the movie. This could signify the love triangle, or two paths (Blossom and Sands) colliding into a single point.

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Goofs

After the shoot out, when the scene is being investigated, you can see one of the "corpses" take a deep breath.

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Quotes

Claire: How did you lose your license?
Eugene: I was operating on a patient and the patient died.
Claire: Was it your fault?
Eugene: I was under the influence of narcotics and methamphetamines at the time, so yes, you could say it was my fault.
Claire: How long ago was it?
Eugene: Ten months, five days... what time is it now?

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Devil's Advocate/I Know What You Did Last Summer/Playing God/Telling Lies in America/Eye of God/Year of the Horse (1997)

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Soundtracks

Delilah
Written by Barry Mason (uncredited) and Les Reed
[Incorrectly co-credited as written by John 'Spider Bruce' Mason]
Spoken by Timothy Hutton

User Reviews

Great for David Duchovny fans

I saw Playing God recently and it is an average movie. I am a big fan of David Duchovny, so that was the reason I rented this movie. The movie has a lot of blood and gore, a lot of swear words, but no nudity. It is good to see David in a different role. If you are a fan of David Duchovny or any of the other actors in this movie then it is worthy for you to see. If not this movie is not anything to be excited about. The last half of the movie is much better than the first, it is actually good quality film-making and shows that David can shine in other roles. My rating: A 7 out of 10.