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Director: | Paul Thomas Anderson |
Studio: | Sony Pictures |
Producer: | Daniel Lupi, François Duplat, Hans Brockmann, Helene Mulholland, John S. Lyons, Keith Samples |
Writer: | Alun Owen |
Rating: | 4 |
Rated: | R |
Date Added: | 2007-03-06 |
Purchased On: | 2007-06-03 |
ASIN: | B00000K3D3 |
UPC: | 0043396810396 |
Price: | $19.94 |
Awards: | Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations |
Genre: | Crime & Criminals |
Release: | 1999-05-10 |
IMDb: | 0058182 |
Duration: | 101 |
Picture Format: | Widescreen |
Aspect Ratio: | 2.35:1 |
Sound: | Dolby |
Languages: | English, Dolby Digital 5.1, French, Dolby Digital 5.1 |
Subtitles: | English |
Features: | Anamorphic Full Screen |
Comments: The greatest rock & roll comedy adventure
Summary: Before hitting the big time with his second film Boogie Nights, young filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson impressed critics with this deftly conceived, low-budget film noir chamber piece. With its minimalist plot, deliberate pacing, and brief, but shocking bursts of violence, Hard Eight won't please everyone, but Anderson and his first-rate cast were clearly working on the same authentic wavelength. It's a mystery at first why a solemn professional gambler (Philip Baker Hall in a captivating performance) cares for a down-and-out loser (John C. Reilly) and a dimwit, Reno cocktail waitress (Gwyneth Paltrow). But his motivations become clear--and the movie packs a quietly effective punch--when the gambler faces blackmail by a small-time crook (Samuel L. Jackson). This unheralded film seemed like a closely kept secret itself, until it showed up on the 1997 top-10 lists of several prominent critics. In tandem with Boogie Nights, it marked the arrival of a new filmmaker whose talent is as impressive as that of that other '90s hotshot, Quentin Tarantino. --Jeff Shannon
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