Review of Hard Eight (1997) by Kevin D — 14 Oct 2010

This was the movie equivalent of a great jazz song, and that's not just because there are lots of awesome jazz songs in this movie's score. The musical score also features some haunting tunes as well.

This movie was like a jazz song because it had a calm, laid back, and professional feel to it. This movie is so good that it had to be named twice (take your pick, either Hard Eight or Sydney). This film is the feature debut of the man I believe to be one of the best 5 filmmakers of now and potentially of all time, Paul Thomas Anderson, or what everyone calls him, P.

T. Anderson. His nickname makes him sound like an author, and you know what, he really isn't that far from being one. Along with being one of my favorite directors, Anderson is also one of my favorite screenwriters (his other work includes Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, and There Will Be Blood).

He's up there with Tarantino, Charlie Kauffman, Spike Lee, and Kevin Smith in terms of writing ability (P.T Anderson would probably be my #2 screen writer of all time, only behind QT.). This film was magnificently and majestically filmed.

As the viewer, I got thrown right into the world of this motion picture. The film touches upon the themes of redemption, atonement, and revenge in a breezy and quietly powerful hour and a half. Character actor and P.

T Anderson regular Philip Baker Hall had command over the film in the leading role. He had a quiet power about him, kind of like Paulie in GoodFellas. Hall's title character, Sydney, did things on his own time and didn't have to comprise or wait on anyone else.

He was in control of himself. John C. Reilly, who is a really good actor and should stop being Will Ferrel's protoge and who should make more dramas, plays Sydney's protoge of all things. Reilly's character, John, was a youngster who was learning from the master in Sydney.

They eventually built a father-son relationship. Samuel L. Jackson deserved an Oscar nod (as many other things in this movie deserved) for his performance here. Jackson played a more realistic human being in this movie than he normally does.

Jackson's character, Jimmy, was hilarious, charming, loud mouthed, and intimidating. It was a wonderful performance. Gwyneth Paltrow played the hooker with a heart of gold in a forgettable early performance for her.

The real guns on display in this movie were the screenplay, the cool musical score, the majestic and involving cinematography, the mastery of story telling, and the performances by Hall, Reilly, and Jackson.

It was also nice to see another P.T. Anderson regular, Philip Seymour Hoffman, stop by for a memorable little scene. This was an unpredictable film that showed off Paul Thomas Anderson's pure and undeniable talent as a writer and a director, and keep in mind this was his first movie.

This movie is a prime example of why I watch movies: I'm on the lookout for things that are cool, memorable, and entertaining. This movie did all of that and then some. This is a movie for movie lovers and acting lovers.

I could easily see this movie as a Broadway play. But I think its best form is as a film. Some things in this movie could only be appreciated on film (the perfect use of B-roll and the beautiful zooms ins and other camera maneuvers).

This is the best movie I've seen since Bad Lieutenant, which I only saw a few days ago. Don't let the time distance diminish that statement. Bad Lieutenant is now one of my all time favorites and this one might just be on that list too.

Hard Eight/Sydney was a perfect and spellbinding movie. This is what movies are all about. Two more things: I didn't reveal anything about the plot because this movie needs to be experienced first hand.

I will say this about the plot: I loved how everything that happened in this movie was dialogue driven. The dialogue controlled the plot, not vice versa. I just have a hard on for dialogue driven movies.

Also: this movie should be on more "Best Vegas movies" lists. I mean this movie showcased everything Vegas related in entertaining and realistic fashion. Sorry one more thing: the characters in this movie were brilliant and what they said to each other spoke numbers about them as people.