Plot -- Private eye Tom Wells (Nicholas Cage) is hired to investigate what may be a snuff film, featuring a young girl who has been missing for the past seven years. As he descends into the darkest corners of the porn underworld--and the human psyche--his life and even his very soul are at stake.
Critique -- All the negative reviews this film got would lead one to think that it's unredeemably bad. On the contrary; this is an uneven but sometimes compelling thriller; the hostile critical reception is due largely to the subject matter. Make no mistake, "8MM" is not for everyone--certainly not for the squeamish. The film is admittedly a bit long, and drags a bit in spots. "Seven" screenwriter Walker was unhappy with rewrites forced on his original script, which may account for the flaws found in the finished film. Nonetheless it features some genuinely unsettling scenes as Wells realizes the depths of human depravity. Photographed in dark, dreary tones, the film certainly has the right look and feel, with a palatable sense of oppression. Content notwithstanding, it's indeed a well-made film.
Nicholas Cage does well as a man who is forced to cope with a side of life he's never dealt with. Peter Stormare is appropriately sleazy as a porno filmmaker, and Joaquin Phoenix offers adequate support as a wisecracking porn shop clerk. There are some graphic scenes that would have guaranteed the film an NC-17 rating had it not been backed by a major studio. Nonetheless, there are also some moving scenes as Wells struggles to find a moral center in the midst of the evil he finds himself mired in. This is a flawed motion picture, but nonetheless a better film than expected.
Rating: (***) out of four
Released by Columbia Pictures
Critique -- All the negative reviews this film got would lead one to think that it's unredeemably bad. On the contrary; this is an uneven but sometimes compelling thriller; the hostile critical reception is due largely to the subject matter. Make no mistake, "8MM" is not for everyone--certainly not for the squeamish. The film is admittedly a bit long, and drags a bit in spots. "Seven" screenwriter Walker was unhappy with rewrites forced on his original script, which may account for the flaws found in the finished film. Nonetheless it features some genuinely unsettling scenes as Wells realizes the depths of human depravity. Photographed in dark, dreary tones, the film certainly has the right look and feel, with a palatable sense of oppression. Content notwithstanding, it's indeed a well-made film.
Nicholas Cage does well as a man who is forced to cope with a side of life he's never dealt with. Peter Stormare is appropriately sleazy as a porno filmmaker, and Joaquin Phoenix offers adequate support as a wisecracking porn shop clerk. There are some graphic scenes that would have guaranteed the film an NC-17 rating had it not been backed by a major studio. Nonetheless, there are also some moving scenes as Wells struggles to find a moral center in the midst of the evil he finds himself mired in. This is a flawed motion picture, but nonetheless a better film than expected.
Rating: (***) out of four
Released by Columbia Pictures