Review of Hard Eight (1997) by Dave G — 17 Dec 2010
It's got great cast and excellent direction - but it's meandering quality and occasional over indulgance remind us that Anderson, although now an exceptional director, had to start somewhere. The noirish, restrained first section is brilliant, each character introduced and fleshed out with the kind of nuanced style Tarantino could only wish he had.
Sadly the final third is a little over-dramatic, with a twist that is simply unneccesary and whole scene involving a disgruntled punter that just looks and feels all wrong. Hall, Reilly and Hoffman, under the careful guiding hands of Anderson are, of course, brilliant, Paltrow and Jackson, at a time before they were more characatures than characters, are also good.
It might not be vintage Anderson, but it's a good, early, indication of what he will eventually become; one of the most original, most intelligent voices in contemporary cinema.
This review of Hard Eight (1997) was written by Dave G on 17 Dec 2010.
Hard Eight has generally received positive reviews.
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