Simpatico

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Nick Nolte Director: Matthew Warchus Original UK Premiere: 2000 Dvd Release: 25th March, 2002 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen, Region 2 Encoding

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They call horse racing the sport of kings but Simpatico makes it look more like the sport of shifty, money-grubbing sleaze bags. This intricately plotted drama centres around a clutch of former business partners, Vinnie, Carter & Rossie, who 20 years ago pulled a scam with a ringer to make a killing on the Kentucky Derby. However, the plot was rumbled by racing-inspector Simms , so the trio blackmailed him with dirty pictures. All this is revealed in grainy Super 8 flashbacks with one set of young actors while in the present, the mature versions of the three cohorts, played by Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges & Sharon Stone, struggle with their consciences & regrets. It all looks set to unravel once Vinnie decides to make restitution to Simms.

Theres some meaty, ambitious stuff here, but director Matthew Warchus & co-writer Sam Shepards reaches for more than it can grasp. For example, the over-the-top symbolism of having the horse swap mirrored in a lifestyle swap between Vinnie & Carter defies all plausibility. The stars all reprise well-rehearsed personas: heres Nolte playing the crazy bum as in Down & Out in Beverly Hills, theres Jeff Bridges unveiling yet-another of his patented smug yuppies brought low; & havent we already seen Sharon Stone playing an embittered lush in Casino? As ever, Being John Malkovichs Catherine Keener steals the show as dreamy checkout girl grabbing her chance at the brass ring. But in the end, Simpaticos sluggish pacing means it slows to a trot right when it should start to gallop.

Jeffrey Leon Bridges is an American actor born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of actor Lloyd Bridges & the brother of actor Beau Bridges. Some of Bridges more notable roles include starring in the 1982 movie Tron, where he played Kevin Flynn, a video game programmer. He gained repute in the mid- 80s for his roles in the sexy thriller Against All Odds & the crime drama Jagged Edge. He also took the leading role of The Dude in the Coen brothers film The Big Lebowski. He married Susan Geston in 1975. They have 3 children, all daughters, together. Posters Of The Big Lebowski

Editors Choice: The Big Lebowski, The Moguls, K Pax, The Door In The Floor, Masked And Anonymous, Seabiscuit, Arlington Road, Scenes Of The Crime, View DVDology

Nicholas King Nolte is an American model, actor & producer. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Frank Nolte, was an itinerant irrigation pump salesman. His father was also an All-American candidate at Iowa State in 1934. His mother, Helen Nolte, was a department store buyer. His paternal grandfather was a German farmer with farm in Iowa. His maternal grandfather did agricultural research at Iowa State University, invented the hollow-tile silo & was prominent in early aviation. His maternal grandmother ran the student union at Iowa State University He attended high school at Benson High School & Westside High School, both in Omaha. He attended Arizona State University on a football scholarship. He also attended Eastern Arizona College, in Thatcher, Arizona & Phoenix College, Phoenix, Arizona. He eventually dropped out due to unsatisfactory grades. He then started his career in theatre. He attended the Pasadena Playhouse & Stella Adlers Academy in Los Angeles. After training, Nolte spent years travelling the country & working in regional theaters. Posters Of Nick Nolte

Editors Choice: The Beautiful Country, The Good Thief, Affliction, Simpatico, Nightwatch, U Turn, Mother Night, Mulholland Falls, View DVDology

Matthew Warchus, studied music & drama at Bristol University. He has directed for the National Youth Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Shakespeare Co, Royal National Theatre, Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera & the West End. He won the Globes Most Promising Newcomer Award for Much Ado About Nothing at the West End, the Evening Standard Best Director award & Olivier nominations for Henry V & Volpone. Sejanus, His Fall, Master Harold & The Boys, The Suicide & Coriolanus, Life is a Dream, Plough & the Stars, True West, Henry V, Devil is an Ass, Hamlet, Volpone, Troilus & Cressida, Rakes Progress, Falstaff, Art. His recent productions of Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre & Falstaff at the English National Opera have been nominated for several Olivier awards including Best Director. Hamlet has also been seen at the Brooklyn Academy in New York & the Kennedy Center in Washington, D,C. Mr.

Editors Choice: Simpatico, View DVDology

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