Review of Hard Eight (1997) by Guy T — 19 Apr 2008

I watched Shrooms last night, a by-the-numbers horror flick which suffered, I thought, from giving out too much in the beginning and losing its footing in the second half. Hard Eight, P.T. Anderson's first feature, has the same problem in opposite.

The first half of Hard Eight is the set-up. You get to know the four main characters of the film, but it's more than having the characters simply tell each other their backstory. It's about learning the tics and habits of these characters, it's about getting very close to them. Which works, in a sense, because the actors are good enough to draw us in, but it also leads to a kind of slow start.

The second half of the movie hits hard -- and repeatedly. Each scene is more moving than the last: the result of combining brilliant writing and terrific acting. I am a fan of Philip Baker Hall after having seen his mind-blowing performance in Altman's Secret Honor, but the truth is that I didn't feel that he had done much in this movie. What really put me on the edge of my seat was a confrontation between Sydney (Hall) and Jimmy (Jackson) in the car. From that point on, I was hooked. I was entranced. Every scene with Sydney and Jimmy was marvelous -- both of these men are spectacular actors. John C. Reilly and Gwyneth Paltrow did their darnedest, too, but can't really stand up next to Hall and Jackson.

Unlike Anderson's latest effort, There Will Be Blood, where the music was jarring and effectively took the viewer out of the action, Jon Brion's score here weaves itself into the story. It works well, and there are times when the tension builds and your heart races and then you finally realize that the music is going wild, too. It just flows so naturally.

And then the ending. Wow. Simple, but powerful.

With a stronger first half, this would have been a five-star movie. As it stands, though, it may be my favorite of Anderson's films and definitely reinforces my admiration of Philip Baker Hall.

Nice.