The story: After doing 8 years hard time for a failed heist operation, Ray Burns wants to get even with those responsible. Ray runs into a problem as his revenge scheme turns out to be more complicated than he thought. No one is who they seem and he needs to figure out what the bloody hell is going on and try to avoid getting killed at the same time.

"Played" is a typical wannabe Guy Ritchie run-of-the-mill heist crime thriller whose script is loaded with cliched betrayals, deaths, close shots of characters on cell phones looking important, bad voice overs, an undercover cop- you know the drill. While not boring or unwatchable by any means, you've seen everything in this film in one form or another. If I wanted to watch a heist film, I'd watch a classic like "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," or even the "Ocean's Eleven" re-make.

Instead of suffering through an indie film with a non-actor cast you'll never see on screen again, "Played" has some major names attached. Val Kilmer, Gabriel Byrne, Vinnie Jones and Anthony LaPaglia all make (mosly brief) appearances. Still, I was impressed and a little baffled as to how Mick Rossi managed to nab these actors for such a small, low budget affair. Money must indeed talk (that or he blackmailed the actors.)

The highlight of the cast and the film- Val Kilmer as a character who helps out Ray. His short but funny role brought back memories of his stand out performance in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." I was also very happy to see the late Bruno Kirby on screen for one last time. He was a fine actor who always shined in supporting roles such as in "Godfather 2" and "City Slickers."

The DVD

Video:
"Played" is another overly-grainy poor quality indie film shot on digital video. My family home videos honestly have better quality. Considering the film was shot in two countries, had multiple locations, and a few big name stars, you'd think the production team could afford a better camera. I realize the film was shot guerilla style, but that's no excuse people. The DVD is presented in 16X9 widescreen (1.78:1) format.

Sound: Viewers have the option of picking two audio tracks: An English 5.1 Dolby Digital track or an English 2.0 Dolby Digital track. The 5.1 track I listened to was decent enough. The songs are often louder than the dialogue and the sound levels could have used some fine tuning. I often had to turn the volume up to hear the actors and actresses.

Extras: The usual standard extras like English/Spanish subs and Lionsgate previews are included. the two actual extras are a 14 minute Behind The Scenes of "Played" featurette and an audio commentary with Mick Rossi. The Behind The Scenes featurette provided some interesting tidbits. We learn that the best scene with Val Kilmer's character on the phone with his mother was actually a mistake. Val's real mother called during shooting, but Val stayed in character and improvised. Speaking of improv, Rossi also reveals that 80% of the film was improvised. It's always good to know that films with no script receive financing, while hard working filmmakers who have tirelessly worked on screenplays for years can't get a break.

The frightfully dull commentary track by Mick Rossi should only be listened to if you are in need of a nap. Rossi barely talks. The track is filled with LONG pauses. When he does speak, he talks about the locations of the shots or says something like "These cops here that arrested me (my character) are real cops. So, they did well." How insightful.

Final Thoughts:
"Played" offers nothing new to the crime genre. You've seen this type of film before and there is no need to see it again in an inferior form.

Film and television enthusiast Nick Lyons recently had his first book published titled "Attack of the Sci-Fi Trivia." It is available on Amazon.com.