Playing God

Playing God follows Eugene Sands, a Los Angeles surgeon whose career ends after he operates while under the influence of amphetamines and a patient dies. Left without a license, he drifts until a night in a bar, where he saves the life of a wounded man during a shooting. That act brings him to the attention of Raymond Blossom, a counterfeiter who needs medical help that cannot be reported to hospitals. Sands accepts the work, treating gunshot wounds and other injuries for Blossom's associates, and is drawn further into the criminal world. The situation grows more complicated through his involvement with Claire, Blossom's girlfriend, as well as pressure from law enforcement on the organization.

The film was directed by Andy Wilson from a screenplay by Mark Haskell Smith, and produced by Laura Bickford and Marc Abraham for Touchstone Pictures and Beacon Pictures. David Duchovny leads as Sands, with Timothy Hutton as Blossom, Angelina Jolie as Claire, and Michael Massee, Stacey Travis and Bob Jennings among the credited cast of twenty. It runs 94 minutes.

Released in October 1997, the film had a budget of 12 million US dollars and took about 4 million dollars worldwide, a fraction of its cost. On IMDb it holds 5.6 out of 10 from around 8,200 votes, and on TMDB 5.6 out of 10 from 129 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 4.2 out of 10 from 31 reviews, placing it below the audience scores on both sites.