Review of Hard Eight (1997) by Mark N — 24 Jan 2008
John Finnegan: I will fuck you up if you fuck with me, ok? I know three kinds of Karate: Jujitsu, Aikido, and regular Karate.
The first film by writer-director P.T. Anderson. This, like his other films, shows what he is good at, developing characters and letting us listen to solid dialog. This will be done even better in his later films like Boogie Nights and Magnolia, but this is still a simple and effective film.
It stars Philip Baker Hall as a man named Sydney, who befriends John C. Reily's character, John. Sydney shows him the ropes of working his way in a casino and they eventually become good friends.
A couple years pass and Gwyneth Paltrow as a cocktail waitress and Sam Jackson as a security man/small time crook come into play. Even Philip Seymor Hoffman with a mullet comes into a small role.
There is no real plot to this movie until almost two thirds of the way in, but it doesn't matter, because it's nice just to see these characters interact with each other. Sydney in particular is a great character. It seems like he has just stepped in from 20 years of Noir work and is taking it easy for the time being. He has some history, a lot not explained, but we find out a few things towards the end, having wanted to know since the beginning.
It also helps that the movie is has a solid direction in terms of making good use of the environment and the classy soundtrack that goes with it.
A nicely written, character/crime drama.
Sydney: Never deny a man's courtesy.
This review of Hard Eight (1997) was written by Mark N on 24 Jan 2008.
Hard Eight has generally received positive reviews.
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