8MM
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1999
STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter
Stormare, Christopher Bauer, Catherine Keener
DIRECTOR: Joel Schumacher
WRITER: Andrew Kevin Walker
RATED: R
RELEASED: 1999
RATING: *** (out of a possible ****)
Joel Schumacher's "8mm" is film noir of a grand tradition, a chilling descent into the seedy underworld of the pornographic industry. Filmed almost entirely in shadow, the movie allows us a merciless glimpse into a culture comprised of darkness, money, violence, and the unquenchable thirst for sex which drives mankind. There's authenticity to the presentation, and "8mm" makes us squirm uncomfortably in our seats, simultaneously appalled and intrigued.
Tom Welles (Nicolas Cage) is a private investigator who operates discretely, a trait which allows him to work with many high-profile clients. ("I've been privilaged to provide services for people I admire," he allows.) When the widow of a much loved bank president asks him to investigate a strange item found in her late husband's vault, Welles agrees... not knowing that the case will come to consume his every thought.
The item in question is a short reel of Super 8 film, which appears at first glance to be nothing more than a typical home movie. But upon screening the footage, Welles is aghast at what he sees: a teenage girl being raped and brutally murdered-- a so-called "snuff film." The confused widow wants to know what this hideous item is doing in her husband's possession, as she knew him as a kind, sweet man. Welles, horrified, vows to uncover the origin of the film.
Welles gets assistance in his investigation from a friendly porn dealer named Max (Joaquin Phoenix), who hides Truman Captoe novels behind phony porn dustjackets, so he can read "real" books at work without raising his customers' eyebrows. This tells us a good deal about Max, a bright young man who hates the way he makes his living, but doesn't know any other way to survive. The interplay between Welles and his sidekick punctuates the landscape of "8mm" with surprising warmth and humor-- quite a feat considering the subject matter we're dealing with.
The photography of "8mm" is flat, drab, and almost completely devoid of color; it seems to be an intentional attempt to recreate the underlit feel so common in Super 8 movies, as well as the shadowy intrigue of past film noirs. The musical score seems to stalk the audience, and is as drenched in shadow and mystery as the photo- graphy itself. It adds a great deal of atmosphere to a movie already overflowing with it.
"8mm" is clever in the way it handles its pornographic elements, opting to tease us with the images from the snuff film rather than shoving them in our faces. It wisely leaves most of the action and violence off-screen. This is the correct approach to take-- as Max himself points out, this type of imagery gets in one's head. ("Once you see some of this stuff, you can't unsee it.")
1997's "Batman and Robin," also helmed by Schumacher, proved that the director knew how to construct pretty pictures of a city in turmoil, even if the story repeatedly fell flat on its face. (Earlier this year, British comic book fans named it the worst movie ever made about a comic book character.) But "8mm" proves what I have long since suspected: "Batman and Robin's" problems stemmed not from Schumacher's inability to make a compelling film, but from Akiva Goldsman's insultingly bad script. Schumacher has a more talented scribe this time around: Andrew Kevin Walker, the author of "Seven," one of the finest thrillers of the past decade. "8mm" is an impressive rebound for Schumacher, and a fine continuation of a strong track record for Walker.
That doesn't mean they've achieved perfection, however. The story runs a tad too long, a small flaw which could have been fixed with a little more attention to editing and pacing. And Catherine Keener is basically wasted in her role as Welles's wife, Amy; she does little but whine, seemingly unconcerned with the case her husband is working on. I bristled nearly every time she came on the screen.
Much more interesting is the character of Janet Matthews, the mother of the girl in the movie, who becomes Welles's unwitting ally in the quest for the snuff film's origin. In a lesser film, a romantic interest would develop between these two characters, who have numerous scenes alone together. "8mm" is smarter than that, however, and keeps their relation- ship on a professional level, although Welles clearly grows fond of her. He is able to draw strength from Janet's love for her daughter in one chilling climactic scene, the exact details of which I won't spoil.
This is a work of remarkable vision. "8mm," like "Seven" and "Silence of the Lambs," is eerie, dark, and disturbing. If you dislike films of this genre, you probably won't have a great time. But for those who enjoy a good thriller, I recommend this particular walk on the wild side.
("8mm" hits theaters on Friday, February 26.)
E-Mail: jbarlow@earthling.net Joe Barlow on Film: http://www.ipass.net/~jbarlow/film.htm
If you'd like to receive new film reviews by e-mail, please write to: joefilm-subscribe@listbot.com
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==---------- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews