The Player (1992)

Fred Ward: Walter Stuckel

Photos 

Quotes 

• Griffin Mill : So, what's the story?

  Walter Stuckel : Twenty-five words or less? Okay. Movie exec calls writer. Writer's girlfriend says he's at the movies. Exec goes to the movies, meets writer, drinks with writer. Writer gets conked and dies in four inches of dirty water. Movie exec is in deep shit. What do you think?

  Griffin Mill : That's more than 25 words and it's bullshit.

• Walter Stuckel : It is my job to keep this very, very, very, very QUIET!

• Walter Stuckel : How many meetings did you have with this guy?

  Griffin Mill : One.

  Walter Stuckel : Not counting last night.

  Griffin Mill : Not counting last night.

  Walter Stuckel : Why'd you go all the way to Pasadena to meet him?

  Griffin Mill : He had an idea I was interested in, I wanted to talk to him right away.

  Walter Stuckel : His girlfriend, I guess she was a friend of yours, too? Think fast!

  [He throws a ball at Griffin who barely catches it] 

  Griffin Mill : Jesus Christ, Walter! What is this?

  Walter Stuckel : It's called the third degree. Don't like it? Wait till the police are asking questions.

• Walter Stuckel : Pictures they make these days are all MTV: cut, cut, cut. The opening shot of Welles' Touch of Evil was 6 and a half minutes long.

  Jimmy Chase : [amazed]  6 and a half minutes long?

  Walter Stuckel : 3 or 4 anyway. He set up the whole picture with that one tracking shot. My father was the key grip on that shoot.

  Jimmy Chase : Hey, what about Absolute Beginners? That was an extraordinary shot!

  Walter Stuckel : What the hell was that? Never heard of it.

  Jimmy Chase : It's Julien Temple. It's an English movie.

  Walter Stuckel : We're talking about American movies. Orson Welles was a master!

• Walter Stuckel : My old man worked for Hitchcock on Rope. It was a masterpiece. Story wasn't any good. Shot the whole thing without cuts. I hate all this cut-cut-cut.

  Jimmy Chase : Oh yeah? Well, what about Bertolucci and that great tracking shot with Winger in Sheltering Sky.

  Walter Stuckel : I didn't see it.