I didn't expect much from this film, hoping to find something on cable - and this surprised by standing out. Philip Baker Hall is the main character here and he's a great and often overlooked actor that shines as a former gambler gone right, trying to straighten out the seemingly go nowhere life of a young man. Hall takes him in, teaches him the right path, but unfortunately the young man isn't too bright and his limitations and insecurities get the best of him, leaving Hall to make some difficult choices as his unexplained protector.This takes you through the life of making small but decent money by smartly playing up the casinos. It always keeps you interested, even if Gwyneth Paltrow is the weaker link in this film. Samuel L. Jackson does his usual character and he's good with it.A fantastic sleeper film. I enjoyed it.

In 1996, "Fargo"; "Mission Impossible"; "Romeo + Juliet"; "The Rock"; and "Happy Gilmore" we're released and stole the year away from much smaller films such as "Hard Eight". This film was the directorial debut of independent director Paul Thomas Anderson. The film stars Philip Baker Hall, as the character of Sydney, an old time gambler who lives off his winnings in casino hotels. One day Sydney runs into the character of John, played by John C. Reilly. John is a loner who went into Vegas to win some money to bury his recently deceased mother. Sydney feels pity towards John, and decides to teach him how to work the casino to his advantage and make money fast. Sydney eventually takes John under his wing, and treats him like a son. Two years pass and John befriends the mysteriously sinister Jimmy, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who knows a secret that can destroy Sydney and John's relationship. A local casino waitress Clementine, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, is going through personal troubles and has a friendly relationship with Sydney. Many fans of P.T. Anderson who mostly know him for "Boogie Nights"(1997) and "There Will Be Blood"(2007) have never even heard of "Hard Eight", and it's a real shame. This film is in my opinion the most underrated film of 1996, and of the 1990s. "Hard Eight" gives a wonderfully crafted crime, casino thriller that never let's go of your attention. Hall gives the best performance of his career as Sydney. The character of Sydney is very complicated but you can tell that this man has a very big hole in his heart and the people who fill that hole is John and Clementine. You understand the character of Sydney just by the way he dresses, the way he walks and talks, the food he eats, the way he takes his coffee, and how he smokes his cigarettes. In other words Sydney is a hard ass. There are so many things you can talk about with "Hard Eight". Most movies that take place in a casino are very fast, and exciting; that is not the case with "Hard Eight". This film is very calm, and cool, and it's a beautiful contrast because a good portion of the film takes place in a casino. Anderson takes his time to tell a good story and make sure that his cinematography is on point. My favorite scene of the film is the craps scene with the loud mouth Philip Seymour Hoffman facing off with the calm and cool Sydney. Hoffman makes all his screen time count in his two minutes in the film. Hoffman constantly harasses Sydney by talking about his sexuality, and calling him and "old timer". That scene makes me laugh every time I see it. Anderson made the film for only 3 or 4 million and only grossed a little over $400,000; and that is a goddamn shame. Production for the film was dreadful for Anderson as it was just an uphill struggle just to make the film. Now it's not like Anderson is all innocent, he did some things. "Hard Eight" is a film that people are just now discovering due to Anderson's bigger more well known films. I highly recommend YOU to see this film, it will not disappoint.

I'm a bit ambivalent here. Like young Tarantino, it moves the story by gaps away from story, small talk around a table over coffee or drinks, omitting and jumping ahead. Like Jarmusch, it has a languid air and characters shown to be hurt but still retain their kindness. He may have known Kaurismaki or not. Scorsese definitely.Reservoir Dogs was upending the ordinary heist movie by wandering around the main piece, this one is upending the casino movie by setting us up to imagine some cunning scheme that will maybe backfire, but what really backfires is that these people aren't cunning, aren't in calculating control of their emotions. The only 'scheme' is that the old fox was trying to set up a happy life for him, subtly guiding the narrative, to make up for what he took away. Like all these filmmakers, PT knows all the different bits from movies, as movies, and leverages a tentative control over both camera and narrative. He would later leverage more and more of that control in his art, size, strident ambition, first via Scorsese, then Altman, then Kubrick. In fact, as a matter of forces that move the world, I prefer this to some of his later projects. It's all very well prepared and he's good with actors but, unlike Altman, it doesn't break away from that control, it stays in my eyes as a certain kind of film that he's trying to make. It was early but you can tell even here, he wants a music that is tentative, flows and surrounds but tries to construct it by plucking each note carefully instead of allowing his hands to dance along the keys. It's the most talented guy in his film school showing that he has skill.(It's also mentioned as modern noir by some and that's how I came to it, more apt to simply call it about messed up lives and it has something to do with a crime. Noir is a different thing altogether.)

Hard Eight (1996): Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson / Cast: Phillip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, Philip Seymour Hoffman: Intriguing view of guilt presented as the game Hard Eights itself. Phillip Baker Hall invites a depressed John C. Reilly to coffee. Reilly claims to need $6000 to bury his mother and offers Hall fifty for a trip to Vegas where he is taught how to win at the slot machines. Reilly meets a waitress played by Gwyneth Paltrow and not long after they are married. Director Paul Thomas Anderson employee many surprises including an ending that solves nothing. What works is intriguing well written characters that elevate above the plot. Great performance by Hall smitten with guilt over the death of Reilly's father. This is an opportunity for Reilly to play a lead. He plays an individual broken by family loss and attempts happiness with this sudden romance that turns ugly when prostitution plays a factor. Paltrow is interesting as a waitress who marries Reilly only to end up with a stranger handcuffed to the bed in a prostitution scam. Samuel L. Jackson is excellent as a blackmailer who knows Hall's past and the secret he conceals. Philip Seymour Hoffman makes an appearance as a craps player. Anderson gambles simple setups yet comes up with the winning hand on a screenplay that addresses guilt and the ever conscious need to hide sin. Score: 8 / 10