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    Pi

    • 19981998
    • RR
    • 1h 24min
    IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    172K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,496
    366
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    Sean Gullette in Pi (1998)
    Home Video Trailer from Artisan
    Trailer0:27
    2 Videos
    99+ Photos
    DramaHorrorMystery

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

    • Director
      • Darren Aronofsky
    • Writers
      • Darren Aronofsky(story)
      • Sean Gullette(story)
      • Eric Watson(story)
    • Stars
      • Sean Gullette
      • Mark Margolis
      • Ben Shenkman
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Darren Aronofsky
    • Writers
      • Darren Aronofsky(story)
      • Sean Gullette(story)
      • Eric Watson(story)
    • Stars
      • Sean Gullette
      • Mark Margolis
      • Ben Shenkman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 628User reviews
    • 139Critic reviews
    • 72Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 8 wins & 12 nominations

    Videos2

    Pi
    Trailer 0:27
    Pi
    'Pi' | Anniversary Mashup
    Video 1:16
    'Pi' | Anniversary Mashup

    Photos107

    Renegade mathematician Max Cohen (Sean Gullette, left) and the leader of the Kabbalah sect, Lenny Meyer (Ben Shenkman) have a chance encounter on a Chinatown street corner.
    Sean Gullette and Pamela Hart in Pi (1998)
    Mark Margolis in Pi (1998)
    Sean Gullette in Pi (1998)
    Darren Aronofsky in Pi (1998)
    Darren Aronofsky, Sean Gullette, and Matthew Libatique in Pi (1998)
    Pi (1998)
    Sean Gullette in Pi (1998)
    Elizabeth Hurley and Ben Stiller in Permanent Midnight (1998)
    Pi (1998)
    Pi (1998)
    Pi (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sean Gullette
    Sean Gullette
    • Maximillian Cohen
    Mark Margolis
    Mark Margolis
    • Sol Robeson
    Ben Shenkman
    Ben Shenkman
    • Lenny Meyer
    Pamela Hart
    Pamela Hart
    • Marcy Dawson
    Stephen Pearlman
    Stephen Pearlman
    • Rabbi Cohen
    Samia Shoaib
    Samia Shoaib
    • Devi
    Ajay Naidu
    Ajay Naidu
    • Farrouhk
    Kristyn Mae-Anne Lao
    Kristyn Mae-Anne Lao
    • Jenna
    Espher Lao Nieves
    • Jenna's Mom
    Joanne Gordon
    • Mrs. Ovadia
    Lauren Fox
    Lauren Fox
    • Jenny Robeson
    Stanley B. Herman
    Stanley B. Herman
    • Moustacheless Man
    • (as Stanley Herman)
    Clint Mansell
    Clint Mansell
    • Photographer
    Tom Tumminello
    • Ephraim
    Henri Falconi
    Henri Falconi
    • Kaballah Scholar
    Isaac Fried
    • Kaballah Scholar
    Ari Handel
    • Kaballah Scholar
    Oren Sarch
    • Kaballah Scholar
    • Director
      • Darren Aronofsky
    • Writers
      • Darren Aronofsky(story) (voice over written by)
      • Sean Gullette(story) (voice over written by)
      • Eric Watson(story)
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

    Storyline

    Edit
    In NYC's Chinatown, recluse math genius Max (Sean Gullette) believes "everything can be understood in terms of numbers," and he looks for a pattern in the system as he suffers headaches, plays Go with former teacher Sol Robeson (Mark Margolis), and fools around with an advanced computer system he's built in his apartment. Both a Wall Street company and a Hasidic sect take an interest in his work, but he's distracted by blackout attacks, hallucinations, and paranoid delusions..
    cult filmthe letter pigomathematicianheadache175 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • There will be no order, only chaos
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Horror
      • Mystery
      • Sci-Fi
      • Thriller
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for language and some disturbing images
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      No location permits were secured for any of the scenes filmed. The crew had to have one man constantly serving as a lookout for police so they could stop filming if needed.
    • Goofs
      The number on the screen just before Max faints and is revived by his neighbours shows 218 digits, not 216.
    • Quotes

      Sol Robeson: Hold on. You have to slow down. You're losing it. You have to take a breath. Listen to yourself. You're connecting a computer bug I had with a computer bug you might have had and some religious hogwash. You want to find the number 216 in the world, you will be able to find it everywhere. 216 steps from a mere street corner to your front door. 216 seconds you spend riding on the elevator. When your mind becomes obsessed with anything, you will filter everything else out and find that thing everywhere.

    • Crazy credits
      Leonardo DaVinci listed under "Special Thanks"
    • Alternate versions
      DVD version includes deleted scenes:
      • Max being threatened by Farrouhk, Devi's jealous boyfriend;
      • Max climbing up a pile of discarded computer parts and monitors;
    • Connections
      Edited into Sabores do Saber (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      I Only Have Eyes For You
      Performed by Stanley B. Herman (as Stanley Herman)

      Written by Al Dubin & Harry Warren

      Published by WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)

    User reviews628

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    not about math, but about obsession, paranoia, searching for answers never found
    Pi is the kind of movie I wished I could've seen in one of those dank art-house movie theaters in New York City, as it's practically gift-wrapped for the crowds. But it's not done with every shot lingering on the characters, soaking in minimalism in its black and white photography, quite the opposite. Darren Aronofsky is a filmmaker I first got into through Requiem for a Dream, which now years after I saw it I want to revisit again upon the soon to be released the Fountain and especially after now seeing Pi. Before with 'Requiem', I did like the movie a lot, but felt a little apprehensive about deeming it that old term 'masterpiece' as the editing, while ultra fast for a purpose, almost came off as too "MTV" for me. But years later, after hundreds of more films taken in, I'm ready for a second look. In this particular case, Pi is also the kind of movie that warrants a second look at the director's other films. His themes run just as much together as does his breakneck style. And it's not just to show off; he truly does get inside a psychology through subjective camera AND editing, to a degree that might impress Hitchcock, albeit with some whiplash.

    Max Cohen played by Sean Gullette is the protagonist of the story, who's main foe is none other than the universe itself, in a sense, all through one number. Or rather, a series of numbers, one which might unlock the Stock Market secret for him. He doesn't even want to play the market, mind you, but the point for him- if one can follow- might be attributed to a repeated memory he has of looking at the sun as a boy, and soon looking past the shock of actually looking long at it. This is a very small device by Aronofsky but it works well to establish- and continue- this man's downward spiral. And spirals, by the way, seem to also figure into the film, as well as a secret technology firm (with a woman who reminded me of Condaleeza Rice look-alike), and especially a near undercover Hasidim ring where they need the numbers *in* Cohen's head to unlock some big secret to God. But even with all of this pressure, Cohen can't shake what's dogging him around, in his own cramped, wire-ridden apartment, with many bugs crawling around.

    The key for this movie really is atmosphere, in the acting (if it makes you uncomfortable sometimes that's the point too, and it's probably the strangest performance of a lifetime for Gullette), the production design (that apartment and the subways), the grainy, spectacular photography by Matthew Libatique, the editing to be sure- which here, unlike the breakneck 'Requiem', does take a break from the cuts so quick they almost past subliminally (which isn't bad)- and the moody music that is so slight you almost forget its there. It even works for me, and this is a big plus, as someone who's not really interested in mathematics (worst subject in school), and even better as it drew me in to his obsessions with it. I really liked one of the early scenes between Max and his the friendly Hassidic man who explains on paper different numbers and their relation to parts of the Torah. And, in the end, it all comes down to getting engrossed through what the filmmaker's bringing in with this man. There is a sort of detachment from reality- that most of us would never touch much of this with a ten foot pole- but then again it really isn't. Aronofsky also makes a point of some hallucinations/dreams adding to the ambiance, skidding almost towards the pretentious, and thus creating a world all of its own in Pi for Max, and for us as well.

    A film that I shall certainly seek out again when I can, if only to see if I can understand some things a little more (or maybe not as case might be), and to see such a powerhouse performance from Gullette. Grade: A
    helpful•45
    10
    • Quinoa1984
    • Sep 9, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 10, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
      • 3.14159265358
    • Filming locations
      • Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Harvest Filmworks
      • Truth and Soul Pictures
      • Plantain Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $60,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,221,152
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $31,069
      • Jul 12, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,221,152
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 24min
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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