David O'ConnellP.T.Anderson's Hard Eight
June 23rd 2008 04:55
Paul Thomas Anderson’s debut from 1996 may be his most unknown work but its rare quality was to be a precursor of the films that followed from his fertile imagination: Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love. His most recent, There Will Be Blood, may be rightly regarded as his opus one day, but there’s plenty to remind us of his dramatically acute sense of pacing and characterization in Hard Eight.
Expanded from his own short film Cigarettes and Coffee, Anderson uses the same central character, Sydney (Philip Baker Hall), an elderly man and gambler who takes a distraught, directionless young man, John (John C. Reilly), under his wing, firstly just to give him a helping hand after he finds him in a mess outside a diner after the recent death of his mum. Is it just a chance meeting between two random strangers, or is there another force bringing them together?
Over time however John becomes a kind of protégé of Sydney’s as he’s taken back to Vegas where he lost all his money trying to pay for his mum's funeral and is shown the basics of surviving in a casino which have served Sydney so well – the little tricks and scams which - utilized and modified - over time, can earn him enough to get by and more.
The film steps forward in time a couple of years where we find that John has stayed on in Vegas and become like a son to Sydney, but whose rashness and lack of intelligence gets him into a few sticky situations after he falls for cocktail waitress Clementine (Gywneth Paltrow).
Samuel L. Jackson, as the violent Jimmy, makes an appearance in the third act as a man trying to blackmail Sydney. He knows a secret the old man has kept hidden and dearly wishes to remain private.
Anderson’s film is a noirish, low-key, modest one which doesn’t seek to portray the extravagances and excess of Vegas and its glittering epicenter, but rather to uncover the smaller tales being played out in its dark, unnoticed corners through rich and detailed characterization.
His pacing is deliberate and slow but his style - honed even more meticulously in his later films – reveals a compelling internal rhythm of its own. His occasionally long takes and high crane shots may bear the influence of a Martin Scorcese but Anderson has always imbued his work with a quality that less flattering imitators could only ever dream of matching.
Philip Baker Hall, as the paternal mentor with the mysterious past, gives his greatest ever performance in one of his only ever lead roles. He’s the heart of the film and I love watching him as Sydney – every word and gesture is considered and in control, his looks and silences imparting just as much meaning. It’s another classic case of an actor in the role that he was seemingly born to play; he’s just pitch-perfect in every way, enriching Sydney with nuances both revealed and only surmised.
Reilly and Paltrow also give highly believable and sympathetic performances in support too, with Jackson’s small, but crucial, role being a show-stopper.
Cinematographer Robert Elswitt has shot all of Anderson's films, culminating in his Oscar triumph for There Will Be Blood, and his skillful work is evident here too. The low-key vibe of Michael Penn and Jon Brion's score is also a perfect match for the visuals. (Brion would go on to compose the wonderful orchestral scores for Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love, his brilliant work on Magnolia being a standout.)
It’s great to re-live the early work of a modern master to see where it all began and even after having seen Hard Eight three times now I never tire of its simple pleasures. It’s a wonderful example of the type of classic little film more likely than not to slip through the cracks. But in light of the plethora of awards Anderson has earned since this film was made, there’s no time like the present for rediscovery.
Expanded from his own short film Cigarettes and Coffee, Anderson uses the same central character, Sydney (Philip Baker Hall), an elderly man and gambler who takes a distraught, directionless young man, John (John C. Reilly), under his wing, firstly just to give him a helping hand after he finds him in a mess outside a diner after the recent death of his mum. Is it just a chance meeting between two random strangers, or is there another force bringing them together?
Over time however John becomes a kind of protégé of Sydney’s as he’s taken back to Vegas where he lost all his money trying to pay for his mum's funeral and is shown the basics of surviving in a casino which have served Sydney so well – the little tricks and scams which - utilized and modified - over time, can earn him enough to get by and more.
The film steps forward in time a couple of years where we find that John has stayed on in Vegas and become like a son to Sydney, but whose rashness and lack of intelligence gets him into a few sticky situations after he falls for cocktail waitress Clementine (Gywneth Paltrow).
Samuel L. Jackson, as the violent Jimmy, makes an appearance in the third act as a man trying to blackmail Sydney. He knows a secret the old man has kept hidden and dearly wishes to remain private.
The wonderful Philip Baker Hall as Sydney
Anderson’s film is a noirish, low-key, modest one which doesn’t seek to portray the extravagances and excess of Vegas and its glittering epicenter, but rather to uncover the smaller tales being played out in its dark, unnoticed corners through rich and detailed characterization.
His pacing is deliberate and slow but his style - honed even more meticulously in his later films – reveals a compelling internal rhythm of its own. His occasionally long takes and high crane shots may bear the influence of a Martin Scorcese but Anderson has always imbued his work with a quality that less flattering imitators could only ever dream of matching.
Philip Baker Hall, as the paternal mentor with the mysterious past, gives his greatest ever performance in one of his only ever lead roles. He’s the heart of the film and I love watching him as Sydney – every word and gesture is considered and in control, his looks and silences imparting just as much meaning. It’s another classic case of an actor in the role that he was seemingly born to play; he’s just pitch-perfect in every way, enriching Sydney with nuances both revealed and only surmised.
Reilly and Paltrow also give highly believable and sympathetic performances in support too, with Jackson’s small, but crucial, role being a show-stopper.
First meeting between John and Sydney
Cinematographer Robert Elswitt has shot all of Anderson's films, culminating in his Oscar triumph for There Will Be Blood, and his skillful work is evident here too. The low-key vibe of Michael Penn and Jon Brion's score is also a perfect match for the visuals. (Brion would go on to compose the wonderful orchestral scores for Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love, his brilliant work on Magnolia being a standout.)
It’s great to re-live the early work of a modern master to see where it all began and even after having seen Hard Eight three times now I never tire of its simple pleasures. It’s a wonderful example of the type of classic little film more likely than not to slip through the cracks. But in light of the plethora of awards Anderson has earned since this film was made, there’s no time like the present for rediscovery.
Sydney confronts Sam Jackson's nasty piece of work, Jimmy
Masterful director Paul Thomas Anderson
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