Unlike most films of plays that fail to break free of stagy theatrics, this film draws its strength from a wonderful script and an intimate tone of Off-Off-Broadway theatre. The combination of Al Pacino and Jerry Orbach together for a solid hour and a half could not be more special. Susan Floyd is also wonderful as Pacino's bohemian love. Painter, long time friend of Pacino and "Before Night Falls" director, Julian Schnabel, introduced the film on behalf of Pacino, who had to return to L.A. to shoot a movie.

A major portion of "Cigarettes and Coffee" was later adapted, expanded and basically re-made into p.t. Anderson's first feature film, "Hard Eight". The most interesting part of "Cigarettes" was later used as the first scene for "Hard Eight"--in both Phillip Baker Hall's character interrogates a young drifter in a roadside diner and explains a few things about life and the art of conversation to him. In "Hard Eight" the two then go on to have a father-son type relationship in a fairly straightforward narrative (the most straightforward of any of p.t.'s later films). Here in the seminal "Cigarettes and Coffee", however, Baker Hall's conversation with the young man is only one of three happening simultaneously in the diner. P.T. cuts between the three, and we soon learn that the lives of the three seemingly-unrelated sets of characters do actually intersect in unexpectd ways. In this way, the short film is much more like the director's recent Altman-inspired "Magnolia" than it it either "Hard Eight" or "Boogie Nights." "Cigarettes and Coffee" has played on The Sundance Channel (or was it The Independent Film Channel?) quite frequently.

A major portion of "Cigarettes and Coffee" was later adapted, expanded and basically re-made into p.t. Anderson's first feature film, "Hard Eight". The most interesting part of "Cigarettes" was later used as the first scene for "Hard Eight"--in both Phillip Baker Hall's character interrogates a young drifter in a roadside diner and explains a few things about life and the art of conversation to him. In "Hard Eight" the two then go on to have a father-son type relationship in a fairly straightforward narrative (the most straightforward of any of p.t.'s later films). Here in the seminal "Cigarettes and Coffee", however, Baker Hall's conversation with the young man is only one of three happening simultaneously in the diner. P.T. cuts between the three, and we soon learn that the lives of the three seemingly-unrelated sets of characters do actually intersect in unexpectd ways. In this way, the short film is much more like the director's recent Altman-inspired "Magnolia" than it it either "Hard Eight" or "Boogie Nights." "Cigarettes and Coffee" has played on The Sundance Channel (or was it The Independent Film Channel?) quite frequently.

Golden Bear for Best Short Film (win) - - 2004 Berlin International Film Festival

Golden Bear for Best Short Film (win) - - 2004 Berlin International Film Festival

1896年，朝鲜末代王高宗因不堪忍受日本和亲日派欺凌而出逃到俄国使馆避难，初次享用到咖啡的美妙之处。俄日两国为了各自在朝鲜的利益最大化，利用高宗的这一喜好，在宫廷内派遣间谍实施暗杀计划。实施者包括双面间谍——俄国诈骗团伙的神射手伊里奇、烹制咖啡能手丹妮娅，以及他们的幕后推手——亲日派朝籍女人贞子。　　丹妮娅以御用咖啡调制师的身份潜伏在高宗身边，伊里奇为了保护她亦化名日人“坂本”相随。在步步惊心的阴谋中，爱情、危险如影随形。这场惊心动魄的“咖啡之战”将如何终结？

1896年，朝鲜末代王高宗因不堪忍受日本和亲日派欺凌而出逃到俄国使馆避难，初次享用到咖啡的美妙之处。俄日两国为了各自在朝鲜的利益最大化，利用高宗的这一喜好，在宫廷内派遣间谍实施暗杀计划。实施者包括双面间谍——俄国诈骗团伙的神射手伊里奇、烹制咖啡能手丹妮娅，以及他们的幕后推手——亲日派朝籍女人贞子。　　丹妮娅以御用咖啡调制师的身份潜伏在高宗身边，伊里奇为了保护她亦化名日人“坂本”相随。在步步惊心的阴谋中，爱情、危险如影随形。这场惊心动魄的“咖啡之战”将如何终结？

本片是由11个黑白短片综合而成的短篇集，每个短片都围绕咖啡与香烟展开。 　　一。罗伯托·贝尼尼（罗伯托·贝尼尼 Roberto Benigni 饰）坐在一家咖啡馆喝着咖啡，史蒂夫·赖特（史蒂夫·赖特 Steven Wright 饰）过来与他攀谈，然而两人似乎没有什么共同语言 ，只在重复表达对咖啡与香烟的热爱…… 　　二。一家咖啡厅里坐着一对黑人双胞胎兄妹，咖啡厅服务员突然对他们很感兴趣，即坐下与之热情交谈，然而兄妹俩似乎对这个不知所云的人毫无兴趣，只在继续抽烟喝咖啡…… 　　三。加利福尼亚某处的一家咖啡馆，流行歌手伊基·波普（伊基·波普 Iggy Pop 饰）与汤姆·威兹（汤姆·威兹 Tom Waits 饰）正在以抽烟的方式庆祝他们戒烟成功。该短片曾获1993年戛纳电影节短片单元金棕榈奖。 　　…… 　　十一。这天夜里，喝着速溶咖啡、抽着卷烟的两个老人William Rice（William Rice 饰）与Taylor Mead（Taylor Mead 饰）谈论起过去的音乐。在这个有些忧伤的话题进行到一半时，Taylor像孩子般熟睡过去了……