Max Martin (Reg Rogers) heads off into the New York night to seek inspiration for a show he is expected to have within 24 hours. Unable to find anything to motivate him he goes into a dive bar where he is mysteriously 'given' 10 beautiful black & white photographs, which – although not shot by him – he believes can help him revive his career .

But before Max can get away he rushes over to save a man (Rob Campbell) from being beaten up. In the process the photos are stolen. Max then heads off with the man he saved in tow and they go in search of the photos – each of which pop up one-by-one in the most unexpected places.

As Max and his new friend go further into the night they are joined by a couple other people; one is a would be psychic (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in one of her first roles) and the other a bachelor (Chris Bauer) out on the town the night before his wedding. As they look for the photos each of them learn a little about themselves. [Of note: just recently reviewed Blow-Up but these are two very different films.]

The Photographer has a bit of a Twilight Zone edge but with quirky comic moments. It is fairly engaging, the script is well written and the acting – while sometimes a bit awkward – is generally good. If there is a downside to the film it is that it has a bit of a hackneyed message about getting in touch with the things that matter most in our lives. The film also tells us not to judge a book by its cover; it seems to be saying, 'what can we learn from a homeless man and a clairvoyant?'

Tom Noonan, Anthony Michael Hall, Kristen Wilson and Tina Holmes show up in bit parts.

Video:
The DVD is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 anamorphic and looks great. Shot in color with a lot of nighttime scenes the lighting is beautiful in each shot. Each image is sharp and clean; the blacks are deep and rich and the colors are saturated and vivid.

Audio:
There are two audio tracks; one is Dolby Digital 2.0 and the other is Dolby Surround 5.1. The film has a good amount of dialogue and everything comes across very audible. The tech credits for this film and disc are very good.

Extras:
There are no extras.

Overall:
The Photographer is a good American Independent film about an artist who is confronted with a series of problems and solutions which he must wade through in order to move on with his life. At once mysterious and funny with good performances the film is not great cinema but good enough to watch and think about when it is over. The DVD looks and sound great but has no extras.