Hard Eight (1997)

There’s nothing I hate more than meeting a Paul Thomas Anderson fan who either says how much he loves the Resident Evil movies or how much he loved his first film, Boogie Nights. We all know Paul W.S. Anderson gave the cinematic world the famed video game-inspired franchise (unfortunately, we cannot give it back) and any real P.T. Anderson fan knows his first film was actually Hard Eight, starring Phillip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

In the film, Baker Hall plays Sydney, a mysterious man who literally comes from out of nowhere to befriend the hopeless and broke John (John C. Reilly). Under his tutelage, he teaches John how to become a professional gambler. Two years later, John has made a life for himself in Reno with a new friend, the outspoken and classless Jimmy (the wonderful Samuel L. Jackson), and a love interest in cocktail waitress and occasional call girl Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow). Just when it seems like John is finally able to stand on his own, Sydney receives an urgent late night call. He must then decide if helping John is worth putting himself in danger and how to contain the dark secret Jimmy has linking Sydney to John’s past.

Well-acted in the extreme, Hard Eight is the kind of film young actors should watch and study. There isn’t a single scene where the performances hit a false note. Even Philip Seymour Hoffman’s cameo as a drunken cowboy at the craps table is priceless. The film is dialogue heavy, and most of the scenes involve just two characters conversing to move the story forward.

Scenes brim with searing intensity as the actors immerse themselves in the material and give performances we rarely see harnessed by debuting directors. It’s a plaudit to the hard work and inherent talent of P.T. Anderson. This was Paltrow’s best onscreen role to date. Her portrayal of Clementine is extraordinarily real and tortured, particularly in the hotel room when her character is unsure if Sydney’s paternal nurturing is out of genuine kindness or if he’s just another trick. Samuel L. Jackson is always fun to watch and plays lowlife Jimmy with a perfect balance of humor, instability, and cowardice without going over the top.

While the performances and direction are impressive, the overall film lacks concise plotting. Hard Eight isn’t a film about anything specific, rather a “slice-of-life” story for Sydney. He’s a problem solver, and this film is played out in a series of episodes about his solving those problems.

The biggest issue is that the two major dilemmas he faces aren’t cohesively linked. Viewers used to more conventional plots might walk away scratching their heads, confused by what happened in the motel room and still asking questions about it. It doesn’t necessarily serve a direct plot purpose, but is instead a demonstration of how much Sydney loves John and why the later conflict with Jimmy can be so destructive.

Also, the DVD cover tends to misrepresent the movie. It features Sydney holding a pistol, hinting it might be an action or gangster film when there is, in fact, very little action. I hate when that happens. Such misleading DVD covers only serve to set viewers up for disappointment. It’s like putting a gun in Tom Wilkinson’s hand on a DVD cover of Todd Field’s In the Bedroom. While crime and gambling are rich in the diegesis here, this is a story about a father’s love for a son and the limits Sydney is pushed to in order to protect that love.

Overall, Hard Eight is a good watch. It’s very surprising that so many people I mention it to haven’t seen or heard of it, even self-proclaimed diehard P.T. fans. It’s an actor’s movie meant to be savored for its rich screenplay and performances that take the written material and bring it to life in ways both extraordinary and believable. And it’s all the more impressive when you consider this was Paul Thomas Anderson’s true first effort at feature directing.

This Hard Eight is definitely a winning gamble.