rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1996; aka Sydney
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson; produced by Robert Jones, John Lyons; written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, F. William Parker
'Hard Eight' shows director Paul Thomas Anderson in top form on an early age. The film is a precursor to the highly insightful 'Boogie Nights', 'Magnolia', 'Punch-Drunk Love' and ultimately 'There Will Be Blood', arguably his most complete - and more conventional - film of the four. This film is quiet and seems slow, but it is always intriguing. It is not only Anderson doing a great job, the film benefits from strong performances from John C. Reilly and Philip Baker Hall.
Hall is Sydney (the film is also known as 'Sydney') who offers the broke John (Reilly) a cup of coffee and a cigarette. John needs $6,000 to bury his mother but has lost all of his money in Vegas. Sydney offers to help. Why is one of the mysteries of the film, although it is never reallytreated as something really important. Two years later John and Sydney are still friends, Sydney being a father figure for John. At that time we meet Clemetine (Gwyneth Paltrow), with whom John falls in love.
We also get to know Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson),