Hard Eight

Pros: Hall is marvelous, Anderson's directing is raw but controlled
Cons: A little too quick, flat in parts

Paul Thomas Anderson's first motion picture is the only one of a reasonable length, but it also is the weakest of his films. Of course, this doesn't mean very much, considering his other films are the near masterworks of a great modern director....

Pros: Anderson's Direction/Script, Elswit Cinematography, Editing, Locations, Score, & Cast, notably Hall. 
Cons: A Few Shot Set-Ups that Don't Work at Times.

Of the many American auteurs to come out of the 1990s with a new take on cinematic style, Paul Thomas Anderson was a director who reinvented the ensemble films that were made famous by the late Robert Altman. Before making films about the world of ...

Pros: Great script / Interesting mix of character study and film noir / Perfectly orchestrated / Excellent performances
Cons: Just not enough meat to garner a high recommendation or repeat viewings

Paul Thomas Anderson achieved critical and financial success with his brilliant look into the 70's porn era with "Boogie Nights." A few years later, some, including myself, would argue that he actually topped that effort with his three hour...

Pros: Dialogue, entire cast, controlled & snappy direction
Cons: Last few minutes not as compelling

The word "hard eight" is a gambling term, used when betting a high wager in a game. Since getting two fours when rolling a die is pretty hard to come by, it's a tough bet. It also signifies the movie itself. Not only does it concern itself with life and...

Pros: Exceptional cast, great script, P.T. Anderson's trademark directing style
Cons: A bit slow at times, but only for a few moments

It's a Friday night here in La-La Land and I'm home alone in my one-bedroom apartment just a few blocks away from the heart of Hollywood, bumming about the fact that none of the agencies that I've sent my resume' to have extended a job offer to me yet....

Pros: Well-acted movie, likable story, Sydney is a unique character
Cons: No intensity, the screenplay lacks initiative in the exploration of the adoptive family ties

The Story

One day Sydney and John meet outside a small diner, and Sydney introduces himself as a guy that wants to help. John has recently been down on his luck because he’s just lost a lot of money at the casinos in Las Vegas and...

Pros: Outstanding performances, great soundtrack
Cons: Slightly uneven story

Keenly evocative of place and mood, Hard Eight has an uncanny handle on what it means to want with a capital “W”.

The film opens with a stark shot of a destitute loner, John (John C. Reilly), sitting outside a diner in the Nevada...

Pros: Anderson's Fine Observation of Human Details
Cons: Not the Most Compelling Plot Ever Written

In the gambling word, "hard eight" has several meanings. One of them is a set of cards, dealt in a blackjack game, which add up to eight (with the one value from an Ace not included – in that case, if my memory of gambling rules serves...

Pros: Excellent Dialog, Interesting Characters and Development, Great Acting, Commentary Tracks
Cons: Pacing of the plot is uneven.

Recently, I've been on a Kevin Smith kick because I enjoy his genius. "Dogma" is a perfect film and upon listening, as I frequently do, to the commentary tracks on DVDs, I learned that one of Kevin Smith's professional nemesis is director P.T....

Pros: Great acting from all corners, solid (though imperfect) direction, great script.
Cons: Slow-moving at times and a bit abrupt, but nothing seriously wrong

On the DVD edition of Hard Eight, veteran actor Phillip Baker Hall speaks during one of the film's commentary tracks that the young director, Paul Thomas Anderson, will put himself somewhere just out of frame of the camera as close as he can get...

Pros: Strong acting, dialogue
Cons: Nothing much happens

Paul Thomas Anderson has earned himself plenty of critical acclaim for Boogie Nights and Magnolia, but he first hit the map with this little-seen 1997 character drama starring Philip Baker Hall and John C. Reilly, both of whom popped up in his later...

Pros: great writing, acting, and of course, Paul Thomas Anderson's directing
Cons: might seem flat to those that don't like Anderson's character-driven style

"Hard Eight" was supposed to be called "Sydney". Not that it’s a better or worse name, but it is more relevant-"Hard Eight" is the story of Sydney (Phillip Baker Hall), an aging gambler, and his attempt at...

Pros: Small gem of a debut film
Cons: a bit slow in parts

Hard Eight, the first feature film from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, is a different sort of movie than you're probably used to seeing. It's pacing is rather slow, though never disengaging, its tone a deft mix of humor, drama, and...

Pros: First half hour leaves you with your jaw wide open in awe
Cons: ending comes too soon and is not very good

Hard Eight, which was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson of Boogie Nights and Magnolia is about as good a film by a first time director as they come.
The plot, as usual with a P.T. Anderson film is very complicated, so I won't bother trying...

Pros: good ending
Cons: slow beginning, annoyingly stupid characters

Slow gambling drama that picks up at the end with a twist that gives a point to the first three quarters. I rented this movie because my brother makes some decent coin counting cards at black jack, and we enjoy checking gambling movies for accuracy. This...