Review of Hard Eight (1997) by Hugo S — 12 Jun 2008

HARD EIGHT (1996).

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth PaltrowPaul Thomas Anderson's directorial debut is dark and gritty. Add some bits of humor, fine dialogues and a very satisfying ending and you get a strong drama about the power money has on people.For P.T. Anderson Hard Eight is a smaller film than what would follow - Boogie Nights, Magnolia - with very few chracters and never more than three or four of them in the same room at the same time. Thats pretty much the way to make a first film, its cheaper and shows how much talent you have. Anderson doesnt have to worry about that part, cause he's got plenty of talent. Already with his first feature he directs and works his camera with the confidence of an experienced filmmaker. He develop his story without being scared of not holding the viewer's hand, trusting his audience to trust him.Its about a mentor relationship between a wealthy enough man who decides with no apparent reason to help a young man who pretty much lives in the streets. He shows him how to work the casino to his advantage and helps him in whatever trouble he gets, which leads to something bigger than he expected.The revelations near the end of the film are shocking but make very much sense and suddenly makes the characters more compelling. Its simple but well-written. Anderson handles his themes perfectly and gives us enough character development. The acting is pretty good, John C. Reilly is perfectly naive to portray his character and Philip Baker Hall is cold enough for his. There is also a fine performance from Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson is always a nice addition to a cast, well in the 90's he was. Look out for a small cameo role by Philp Seymour Hoffman before he was known. Hard Eight is a fine directorial debut for one of the most talented filmmaker working today.