Hard Eight1996
Hard Eight (1996)
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Cast
as Clementine
as Jimmy
as Sydney
as John Finnegan
as Hostage
as Young Craps Player
as Restroom Attendant
as Waitress
as Keno Bar Manager
as Keno Girl
as Pit Boss
as Bartender
as Stickman
as Cocktail Waitress
as Jimmy's Girl
as Cashier
as Groom
as Bride
as Aladdin Cashier
as Desk Clerk
as Floorman
as Aladdin Change Booth Attendant
as El Dorado Cashier
as Pastor
as Pants on Fire Person
as Pants on Fire Person
as Pants on Fire Person
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Critic Reviews for Hard Eight
All Critics (36) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (6) | DVD (5)
Anderson coaxes top-notch performances from the male leads and also from Gwyneth Paltrow.
It is really little more than a small resonant mood piece whose hard-bitten characters are difficult to like. But within its self-imposed limitations, it accomplishes most of what it sets out to do.
Has ... meaning and truth, not to mention scarred humanity.
There's something almost hypnotic about the way Hard Eight develops -- even in its slowest, most tedious moments, it keeps our attention.
Movies like Hard Eight remind me of what original, compelling characters the movies can sometimes give us.
Best of all is Anderson's sense of character, expressed in dialogue that never strains for effect and in his expert handling of a first-rate quartet of actors.
Audience Reviews for Hard Eight
A gambler takes a hapless fellow under his wing, but when he falls for the wrong woman, their lives could be threatened. Paul Thomas Anderson's feature film debut is a slow-moving but compelling drama. Phillip Baker Hall and John C. Reilly, who would later become PTA alums, play characters reminiscent of their careers as a whole -- Hall a tough, restrained fatherly figure and Reilly a dumb, doe-eyed everyman. Usually these characters are confined to the background, but when PTA focuses on them, they are compelling. The plot isn't much to write home about, and the last-act reveal isn't terribly surprising, but the film marches along inoffensively. Overall, PTA's debut wasn't the harbinger of greatness that one might expect, but it's certainly worthy of his oeuvre.
Super Reviewer
A solid first feature from the praised P.T. Anderson concerning a mysterious figure named Sydney (Phillip Baker Hall) who shows compassion to two aimless young people (John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow) by taking them in under his wing, who in turn get him in the middle of a big mess involving an assault of a stranger. Hall has been one of those actors who pops up seemingly everywhere as a supporting piece, but there is no doubt that this is his show, and perhaps his finest hour, as he keeps the audience guessing as to what he is going to do next all while maintaining a composed demeanor. While far from Anderson's best film, that is a simple story that is very well acted and well-written. It is far from a masterpiece as it tends to drag in sections, but Hall's character makes this worth a view alone.
Super Reviewer
Shocking and entretaining, Hard Eight is a film with good acting and terrific screenplay.
Super Reviewer
Hard Eight Quotes
| Sydney: | Never ignore a man's courtesy. |
| Sydney: | Good that you have such a sturdy sense of responsibility. |
| Sydney: | You know the first thing they should've taught you at hooker school? You get the money up front! |
| Sydney: | This is a very fucked up situation. |