The descent into madness doesn't always end in chaos...

Rating: 8/10 (12 November 1999)

PI is unlike any film I have ever seen. Shot on a handheld camera in black and white, it has the jitters like a 14 year old wired on Espresso from Starbucks.
The visual style of this film sets it apart from the crowd at the first available moment. Shot in grainy black and white, the filmmaker achieved a dark, and moody atmosphere from which to view the workings of a genius mathematician. A solid choice in my mind, seeing only light and dark, id and ego, alpha and omega, without the clutter of color. His is the world of a mathematician bent on proving order, in a universe of apparent chaos.
The story - a mathematician is seeking order through mathmatics in a chaotic world, using a supercomputer that occupies a good portion of his small apartment. He is, as all good protagonists are, flawed. Max Cohen suffers from a childhood illness - causing him great pain. His search for order, brings him into close contact with a religious group obsessed with numerology, and a group of wall streeters - fighting for the rights to his abilities.
The movie is tough to encapsulate beyond that.
PI is a must see. It may not be your usual fare, but the powerful filming, editing, and offbeat scoring keep you involved throughout the 85 minute run time.
Darren Aronofsky has made a truly unique film, one that put me in quite the same mood as Eraserhead or Videodrome, which I think is more of a compliment to Lynch and Cronenberg given that PI was more riveting, and thought provoking than either of them.
8/10 - PI Will soon be added to my own collection...