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Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Phillip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow
"It's always good to meet a new friend. I'll see you later."
"I know three kinds of Karate: Jujitsu, Aikido, and regular Karate."
"You know the first thing they should've taught you at hooker school? You get the money up front!"
Our introduction to Hard Eight is a look at John (Reilly), sitting despondent next to a diner. He is approached by our protagonist Sydney (Hall), for whom which the movie was originally named. Sydney simply asks John if he would like a cigarette and a cup of coffee. John reluctantly agrees and sits with Sydney in the diner. Sydney is inquisitive to the point of pushy, he wants to know why John is here and what his plans are. At the same time he seems to genuinely want to help John out of his situation. John is reluctant, as are we, but he also seems to be out of options so he agrees to travel with Sydney to Vegas and take some advice and money. This initial exchange is engaging. It tells us quite a bit about the characters while still leaving plenty of mystery. It raises many questions about the characters. Some that will not be answered till the end of the film. Probably some that will never be answered for many. It gives the film a tone of mystery that will never go away. This very first scene in Anderson's very first feature film can sum up quite nicely why he has become one of my favorite directors over the past three years. His characters are rich and the dialogue written for them is smart and funny. His scenes are full of suspense even, and maybe especially, when it is just two people talking and trying to figure each other out. He sets the atmosphere perfectly through his scores which I find to be the best choices of any director working right now. He moves his camera perfectly, always framing his shots just so. His themes are obvious but handled in a way that is ambiguous. Most of the characters in an Anderson movie never get any kind of real closure unless they end up dead.
That brings us back to Hard Eight. The main theme becomes obvious quickly. Sydney is a father figure. He is a father figure to John and desperately wants to be one to Clementine (Paltrow) when she enters the picture. It all but gets spelled out for us when Clementine asks Sydney about his family. Sydney divulges that he has a son and daughter who he never sees anymore. Clementine is a prostitute so she initially sees Sydney's motivations as sexual. Even John who knows Sydney really well by this point is unsure of his intentions with Clementine. Sydney quickly squashes any perceptions of impure motives. For a moment we get to rest in the pureness of the relationship of these three individuals. Two despondent souls who are getting affection and understanding from a fatherly figure who still has an aura of mystery surrounding him, but undoubtedly wants something more for these two individuals.
When the main conflict in the story comes we further see how invested Sydney is in these two, particularly John. If you were not wondering what Sydney's motivation for committing to them before this point, you have to be after. The first time I watched this film at multiple points I thought he would simply remove himself from the situation. When he didn't I had no idea why someone would put their neck out this far for someone who had begun to take part in criminal activity. After the situation calms we get another great scene, this time between Sydney and Jimmy (Jackson). We had met Jimmy previously. He is someone who has befriended John but had less then endeared himself to Sydney. He kind of loomed over Sydney and John's relationship throughout. He is not scene much to this point but is mentioned on multiple occasions which definitely gives off the vibe of “up to no good”. The scene starts slowly, with Jimmy simply inquiring about John under the pretense of making sure he is okay. Sydney plays along for a bit, the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sure enough it does, culminating in us getting the bomb on us we have been waiting for. This revelation explains very clearly why Sydney is so attached to John but clears up little else. The next two or three scenes are quite satisfying. In true Anderson fashion he gives us some closure but leaves enough loose threads for us to pull at as we please as well.
Hard Eight is not my favorite Anderson film. I do think it is an under rated one though. Maybe if it had been my first one to watch I would not feel this way. Watching it now I can see so much of the brilliance that is to come. However it also stands firmly on its own as an outstanding film. I strongly recommend checking it out if you have been reluctant to do so for any reason.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Phillip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow
"It's always good to meet a new friend. I'll see you later."
"I know three kinds of Karate: Jujitsu, Aikido, and regular Karate."
"You know the first thing they should've taught you at hooker school? You get the money up front!"
Our introduction to Hard Eight is a look at John (Reilly), sitting despondent next to a diner. He is approached by our protagonist Sydney (Hall), for whom which the movie was originally named. Sydney simply asks John if he would like a cigarette and a cup of coffee. John reluctantly agrees and sits with Sydney in the diner. Sydney is inquisitive to the point of pushy, he wants to know why John is here and what his plans are. At the same time he seems to genuinely want to help John out of his situation. John is reluctant, as are we, but he also seems to be out of options so he agrees to travel with Sydney to Vegas and take some advice and money. This initial exchange is engaging. It tells us quite a bit about the characters while still leaving plenty of mystery. It raises many questions about the characters. Some that will not be answered till the end of the film. Probably some that will never be answered for many. It gives the film a tone of mystery that will never go away. This very first scene in Anderson's very first feature film can sum up quite nicely why he has become one of my favorite directors over the past three years. His characters are rich and the dialogue written for them is smart and funny. His scenes are full of suspense even, and maybe especially, when it is just two people talking and trying to figure each other out. He sets the atmosphere perfectly through his scores which I find to be the best choices of any director working right now. He moves his camera perfectly, always framing his shots just so. His themes are obvious but handled in a way that is ambiguous. Most of the characters in an Anderson movie never get any kind of real closure unless they end up dead.
That brings us back to Hard Eight. The main theme becomes obvious quickly. Sydney is a father figure. He is a father figure to John and desperately wants to be one to Clementine (Paltrow) when she enters the picture. It all but gets spelled out for us when Clementine asks Sydney about his family. Sydney divulges that he has a son and daughter who he never sees anymore. Clementine is a prostitute so she initially sees Sydney's motivations as sexual. Even John who knows Sydney really well by this point is unsure of his intentions with Clementine. Sydney quickly squashes any perceptions of impure motives. For a moment we get to rest in the pureness of the relationship of these three individuals. Two despondent souls who are getting affection and understanding from a fatherly figure who still has an aura of mystery surrounding him, but undoubtedly wants something more for these two individuals.
When the main conflict in the story comes we further see how invested Sydney is in these two, particularly John. If you were not wondering what Sydney's motivation for committing to them before this point, you have to be after. The first time I watched this film at multiple points I thought he would simply remove himself from the situation. When he didn't I had no idea why someone would put their neck out this far for someone who had begun to take part in criminal activity. After the situation calms we get another great scene, this time between Sydney and Jimmy (Jackson). We had met Jimmy previously. He is someone who has befriended John but had less then endeared himself to Sydney. He kind of loomed over Sydney and John's relationship throughout. He is not scene much to this point but is mentioned on multiple occasions which definitely gives off the vibe of “up to no good”. The scene starts slowly, with Jimmy simply inquiring about John under the pretense of making sure he is okay. Sydney plays along for a bit, the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sure enough it does, culminating in us getting the bomb on us we have been waiting for. This revelation explains very clearly why Sydney is so attached to John but clears up little else. The next two or three scenes are quite satisfying. In true Anderson fashion he gives us some closure but leaves enough loose threads for us to pull at as we please as well.
Hard Eight is not my favorite Anderson film. I do think it is an under rated one though. Maybe if it had been my first one to watch I would not feel this way. Watching it now I can see so much of the brilliance that is to come. However it also stands firmly on its own as an outstanding film. I strongly recommend checking it out if you have been reluctant to do so for any reason.