Review of Hard Eight (1997) by Max S — 02 Sep 2007

This is perhaps PT Anderson's best film. It's rather interesting actually - one can tell that Anderson (though he can be excused as this is his first film) and cinematographer Elswit are still finding their voice. Anderson's script is excellent, even if some of the situations and conversations don't flow so well in the first half of the story. Elswit, though at this point already an above-average dp, employs far too many "haircut" shots of faces.

Despite some of the inconsistencies, Hard Eight still succeeds. The story - the last 30 minutes in particular - is outstanding, even if the reveal was somewhat predictable. Philip B Hall (perfect as a man trying to cover up his bloody past), Reilly, Paltrow, Jackson, Hoffman (in an entertaining appearance), etc are all amazing actors. Everything simply works and the film ends up being very enjoyable.