Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama, Prostitution, Betrayal, Kidnapping, Revenge, Blackmail, Scams And Cons, Hostage, Christmas, Marriage, Murder, Suspense, Love
Tagline: When good luck is a long shot, you have to hedge your bets.
Plot: Sydney (Philip Baker Hall), a mysterious professional gambler, befriends John (John C. Reilly), a young man in trouble, and teaches him the ways of making a living in the casinos of Reno. John gets involved with Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), a pretty waitress who doubles as a prostitute, and Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson), a two-faced criminal. When trouble erupts, suddenly Sydney has to rescue his young friend, but a secret from his past threatens to destroy everything he has tried to build up. Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly acclaimed debut feature (based on the films of Jonathan Demme and John Cassavetes) is a tight, intricate film noir character study with a more disciplined plot than his later, more expansive films. The film also features excellent work from his four actors, particularly Hall as the experienced, world-weary Sydney, and fascinating details about the lowlife world the characters inhabit. HARD EIGHT originated as a short film, CIGARETTES AND COFFEE, that Anderson developed at the Sundance Film Institute.
More Plot Descriptions
 |
Related Movies:
|
 Discussion forum for this movie
|
| |
|
| Cast |
|
 | |
 | |
 | Samuel L. Jackson
Pulp Fiction, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones |
 | |
 | |
 | | |
[more] |
|
| Music By |
Michael Penn
Boogie Nights, The Anniversary Party, Melvin Goes to Dinner |
 | Jon Brion
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love |
|
|
Movie Database
In Theaters
