Excellent mind Bender, cerebral thriller.

Rating: 9/10 (29 November 1998)

Pi, for an inde film, ranks right up there with a Terry Gilliam mind bender (Time Bandits, 12 Monkeys, and Brazil.) My first impression coming out of the theater was that the look of the home built super-computer was very "Brazil"-like. However, this movie had its own feel. A nice thing of watching inde films is getting away from the Hollywood equations for specific genres.
The soundtrack was a very good choice for the film. The techno/trip-hop gives edginess to the film, and it compliments the theme of math and order of numbers. I bought the soundtrack the next day.
The cinematography was excellent. I think if the movie was in color, it would have taken away from the plot. I don't know if the high contrast was intentional, but it was a great effect. I was also very impressed with the non-standard use of the steadicam in Max's walking scenes. The editing was a little to jerky between scenes in some spots, but some would say that was to add to the effect.
Overall I gave the movie a 9 out of 10. I love movies that your mind has to chew on for a few hours over a couple cups of coffee and a pack of cigarettes with a friend. I hope Criterion picks this one up for a special edition laserdisc, I would buy it in a heartbeat.