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 Director
:Joel Schumacher
Starring
: Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter
Stormare, Anthony Heald
Picture
2.35:1 Anamorphic and 4:3, DD 5.1, Double Sided Single-Layer,
Keep Case
Running
Time : 115 mins
The
story:
Some
doors should never be opened.
Tom
Welles (Nicolas Cage) is a private detective who gets an
assignment from a wealthy widow (Myra Carter) to investigate
a 8mm tape found in her late husbands private safe. The
tape appears to show the killing of a young girl and she
wants to know if the murder is real. Tom takes the assignment
and promises to uncover the identity of the girl in the
gruesome film. His trail takes him away from his wife and
baby into the backstreets of sex shops and the porn industry
of the West Coast. He hires the help of Max California (Joaquin
Phoenix), the owner of a local porn shop, to help him uncover
the truth behind snuff movies. Tom finds himself digging
deeper into a world unknown to him, a world of sex, sleaze,
deceit and danger. Tom is horrified by what he sees, but
it's too late to turn back...
The
summary:
8mm
is from the writer that bought us Seven and from the opening
credits you'll notice similarities. With it's dark moody
looks and heavy tribal soundtrack this is going for the
same seedy foreboding atmosphere of Seven. The story topic
is comparable too - Seven features a serial killer and 8mm
is about the even more questionable subject of stuff films.
However, whereas Seven stands head and shoulders above other
dark thrillers, 8mm, for all it's initial shocks and sleaze,
rarely manages to fulfill it's initial promise. The problem
is not with the actors, Cage seems authentic enough as the
private investigator and Phoenix reveals himself as a refreshing
new talent as a seedy porn shop manager. The problem lies
in the films inability to establish the main characters
before the plot progresses. For instance, we know Tom Welles
is a good caring father who is horrified by the events he
witnesses, but what isn't explained is why he feels the
need to put himself and his family at risk for a crime that
may or may not have been committed? And Max California is
all too easily tempted away from his shop just on the promise
of a few hundred dollars. I know I don't own a porn shop,
but this hardly seems good business management. We are shown
too much, too quickly, and this unfortunately has a knock-on
effect that makes you question the story. Whilst this film
is certainly thought-provoking and has it's share of tension
at times, it relies too heavily on gimmicky shock value.
On
the plus side, this is a nice looking disc from the ever
reliable Columbia. The dark settings in the underground
clubs and bars are clear throughout and the bassy sound
is of good quality with clear dialogue. There's also a fairly
good range of extras on offer too including a directors
commentary. Overall not a bad film, but falls somewhat short
where it matters most.
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Extras:
*
Making-Of Featurette - A short
5 minute making-of that's really just an extended promo
trailer with a few snippets from the stars.
*
Directors Commentary
- Perhaps the inclusion of the stars, Cage and Phoenix could
have livened this up a bit. Dull....and.....factual...punctuated...by...long...pauses...
*
Cast and Crew - A few
text pages on the cast & crew.
*
Theatrical Trailer
*
Production Notes - Just
a few notes on the booklet in the disc case. Does this count
as an extra?
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