Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18821 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-07-19
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Black & White, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 80 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Patterns exist everywhere: in nature, in science, in religion, in business. Max Cohen (played hauntingly by Sean Gullette) is a mathematician searching for these patterns in everything. Yet, he's not the only one, and everyone from Wall Street investors, looking to break the market, to Hasidic Jews, searching for the 216-digit number that reveals the true name of God, are trying to get their hands on Max. This dark, low-budget film was shot in black and white by director Darren Aronofsky. With eerie music, voice-overs, and overt symbolism enhancing the somber mood, Aronofsky has created a disturbing look at the world. Max is deeply paranoid, holed up in his apartment with his computer Euclid, obsessively studying chaos theory. Blinding headaches and hallucinogenic visions only feed his paranoia as he attempts to remain aloof from the world, venturing out only to meet his mentor, Sol Robeson (Mark Margolis), who for some mysterious reason feels Max should take a break from his research. Pi is complex--occasionally toocomplex--but the psychological drama and the loose sci-fi elements make this a worthwhile, albeit consuming, watch. Pi won the Director's Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. --Jenny Brown

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
Low-budget film that won Aronofsky "Best Director" at 1998's Sundance Film Festival. Gritty, inventive black-and-white photography drives this story of genius mathematician Max Cohen who is exploring the possible existence of discernible patterns in the stock market. With the aid of Euclid, his home grown supercomputer, Max stumbles upon a bug that crashes his system and spits out a seemingly meaningless number. A knowledgeable friend gives him insight using the ancient game of Go and warns of the spiritual ramifications of powerful numbers. A Hasidic cabalistic sect and representatives from an extremely powerful Wall Street firm then attempt to extract the number from him, by whatever means necessary, for their own ill-gotten gains.

Customer Reviews

5 star offbeat movie - but not a crowd pleaser
I recently bought the Pi DVD set - which also includes Requiem - from a seller on Amazon for just £6, which included postage from the USA! The new DVD arrived within 5 days, which is better service than a lot of UK Amazon sellers provide.

I rate Pi highly for a number of reasons. It is shot in gritty black and white which perfectly captures the lead actors state of mind, and his harsh New York environment. This movie constantly swings between deep mathematical insights into the nature of reality on the one hand, and overwork and madness on the other. It's a rollercoaster of a ride at times as our maths hero plunges further into his black mental maze, but then his brain fog clears again and he breaks through to a new level of mathematical insight - until he reaches the final level.

This isnt a hollywood crowd-pleaser film, its an often dark abstract movie that demands a lot from its viewers. So if your looking for a glitzy blockbuster, look elsewhere, this film isnt for you. Likewise, when watching this film, if you think you know better than the writer and the director of this film, you might as well watch the Simpsons...
you have to take offbeat films like this as they come and not try to anticipate either the storyline or the film's ending.

5-stars. A great little offbeat flick - with teeth

This film does an outstanding little mathematical constant a disservice
I waited and waited for the mystery and originality to crop up in this film and then the end credits came up. Large number theory,(yawn), number significance in religious texts, (considering a lobotomy now- actually the bloke does a DIY one at the end- maybe he watched the film).
Some people described this film as thought provoking but I checked and I'd flatlined by the half way stage; now clinically dead I've got to the end of the film, (being unable to move) and have come face to face with the gaping chasm of infinity, (see the little joke I pop in there, oh so clever and mystical-not), oh no, the films still running that's all, my agony simply won't end. My recommendation, buy a book on the origins of Pi, log e or limit theory/calculus because if you enjoyed this film the mathematical texts mentioned will send you delerious.

Disappointing
Having recently read Hofstadter's excellent book "Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid", I was looking forward to watching PI. Despite the intriguing idea behind this film (and I myself am no stranger to mathematics), this is probably the worst film I've ever seen. Disturbing images, chaotic, and boring. Thank goodness the torture lasted no longer than 80 minutes.

I wish I could be more positive in my review, but this film is just unbearable and overdone.

What a disappointment!