DVD Review: Hard Eight (A-)

Hard Eight (1996)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring Phillip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson
MPAA: R
Grade: A-

Review by Scott Standish

Before Boogie Nights and Magnolia, PT Anderson burst onto the indie film scene with this excellent drama. If you enjoyed either of those films, then definitely seek this one out, it is as good, if not better than those more well known movies.

Hard Eight concerns a Vegas old timer named Sydney (Phillip Baker Hall) who helps out the down on his luck John Finnegan, played by John C. Reilly (Chest Rockwell from Boogie Nights). Sydney teaches John how to gamble, earn tons of comps off the casinos and for the most part, stay out of trouble.

However, things start to go bad as soon as John meets and falls in love with the unstable prostitute Clementine. Things are compounded when John starts hanging out with one of the more renegade crooks in town, the crass and violent Jimmy, played by Samuel Jackson. Jimmy and Syd don't get along, and Syd needs to straighten things out.

The dialogue in this film is incredible. The script is remarkably tight: everything happens for a reason, people speak and act exactly as real people do, and the story never wanders from the main characters. Of course, all films should be so concise, but thats just not the case. So many films now try to weave too many storylines into their tapestry as the director tries to too hard to be the next Robert Altman. It is refreshing to view films like Hard Eight if for no other reason than to confirm that yes, filmmakers can still deliver a tight drama that stays on a straight path all the way through. Keep it simple, tell the story and deliver lots of punchy dialogue.

All of the acting performances here are top notch (Phillip Baker Hall is always excellent), but I must make a special effort here just to point out how good Gwyneth Paltrow is in the role of Clementine. The role requires a wide range of emotions, from sweet waitress with a heart of gold to a totally freaked out unstable gal with some serious issues. Paltrow makes this role come to life, and adds some nice nuances through her good sense of line delivery.

In summary, Hard Eight is a fantastic drama with fine performances, a great script, and surprisingly confident direction. If you like hard edged crime dramas with great dialogue, then definitely give Hard Eight a shot.

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