Hard Eight
Directed by:
Paul Thomas AndersonScreenplay:
Paul Thomas AndersonCinematography:
Robert ElswitCast:
Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, F. William Parker, Melora Walters, Robert Ridgely (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Sydney (Philip Baker Hall - Psycho) is a poker-faced professional gambler with a soft heart for a hard luck story. He plays guardian angel to unlucky John (John C. Reilly - The Thin Red Line) and a hooker, Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow - Shakespeare In Love), whom he grows to love like family. When John's and Clementine's honeymoon night leads to a disastrous hostage situation, Sydney takes care of it, as usual. But when slick casino pro Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson - Star Wars: The Phantom Menace) threatens to reveal a secret from Sydney's past that could destroy his relationship with the newlyweds, Sydney decides to hedge his bets and not leave anything to chance. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
The feature debut of my PTA favorite naturally doesn't yet reach the maturity and plot coherence of the subsequent Boogie Nights or Magnolia, but already here one can find the germs of Anderson's storytelling mastery and, in particular, a tremendously developed intuition for choosing actors. Plot-wise, it's a cross between a Tarantino and a Coen film; formally, it's an honest 90s film with unmistakable music and atmosphere. [65%]
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