Review of Eight Men Out (1988) by Chandler V — 10 Mar 2009

I have to say while the filmmakers brought a lot of care to the story of the "black sox", it just isn't a very good film.

If you've seen Field of Dreams, you have a basic understanding of what this movie is all about. But what is interesting is the people and circumstances that brought about this historic series of events. The fun of movies like this is getting connected to the characters and the atmosphere.

The movie nails the atmosphere. It makes pre-depression America seem downright charming. It is fairly accurate, though they needlessly compress the timeline of events (all you need to do to stay correct is flash a title that says "one year later" or something). And I have to say that I found the actors compelling, but their characters were too briefly depicted to understand any of them. You get quick flashes. I have to say John Cusack as Buck Weaver is one of the standouts, however the movie seems to imply that Joe Jackson is one of the characters we should care about- even though he has very few scenes either on or off the field. Cusack's monologue towards the end of the film is especially moving and refreshingly brief.

The on field scenes are distilled down to their rawest moments. The first game of the series only seems to involve pitching and in fact you rarely ever see a White Sox player swing a bat. From this movie you don't really know if they got creamed in the games or if they lost by close margins.

The movie tries to cover too many characters and unless you bring a fairly good knowledge of the historical events involved, this movie won't help you understand who these people were. However its affection for the sport and the people involved is instantly understood (and probably why people hold it in high regard). I would say see this film if you enjoy historical films and/or baseball, but don't expect too much.