Eight Men Out (1988) 112m
John Sayle's film about the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal (in which eight players took bribes to throw the World Series) appeared in the middle of a 'baseball movie' revival at the end of the eighties. The reason why it was not as popular as many of the others is simple: it does not portray ball players as larger-than-life heroes. But it's easily one of the better pictures. As would be expected from any Sayles production, the ensemble acting is terrific (no one 'star' outshines the others); no peripheral character is wasted. The sense of period is also well evoked, aided in part by the leached photography.
The White Sox players are pulled into the fix early on in the story, leaving us to watch the Series, game by game, for the first half of the film. It's not like the usual baseball pictures, where we're rooting for the team to win, and uplifted by some final spectacular catch or home run. What makes the games compelling are the two opposing factions involved - there is always tension, regardless of whether the team is winning or losing. In EIGHT MEN OUT the playing field is more like a minefield. Half of the team doesn't know what the other half (who are on the take) are doing. The half that is on the take are further divided - the younger players (John Cusack and Charlie Sheen) don't want to look bad, but know that they must 'fail' convincingly. The coach and backstop are by turns bewildered and enraged. The secret play signals become subterfuge. The fans are confused. The newspaper reporters (one of whom is Sayles, who at one point sings a sardonic version of 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles') are suspicious. Behind all of this intrigue lie the gamblers, who have made their own arrangements around the fix. It's an interesting touch that they have all at one time been sportsmen themselves: the idea of playing a game on the level is for rookies. The second half of the film, which is even more complicated, deals with the exposure and subsequent indictment of the players.
EIGHT MEN OUT is a fascinating picture because - like Robert Redford's QUIZ SHOW - it deals with an event in history that undermined public faith and demonstrated that organized crime was able to corrupt what was regarded to be a wholesome, all-American institution. Notice that while the public cries shame, they object to the scandal mainly on principal, and that it's the youngsters and the ball players themselves that it hits at gut level. You won't exactly feel sorry for the team (Sayles is too smart to be that manipulative), but you will recognize the loss of a more innocent time. The great final scene anticipates Kevin Costner's hit of the following year FIELD OF DREAMS, which fulfils many a fan's wishes and gives the eight 'Black Sox' a second chance.
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