Stars: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Summary: Professional gambler Sydney befriends a man who's down on his luck and teaches him how to work the casinos of Reno. Complications arise when his young protege gets involved with a pretty cocktail waitress and a two-faced criminal. Suddenly, Sydney finds himself embroiled in a dangerous web of murder, blackmail, and revenge...

Sydney (Philip Baker Hall), a mysterious professional gambler, befriends John (John C. Reilly), a young man in trouble, and teaches him the ways of making a living in the casinos of Reno. John gets involved with Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), a pretty waitress who doubles as a prostitute, and Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson), a two-faced criminal. When trouble erupts, suddenly Sydney has to rescue his young friend, but a secret from his past threatens to destroy the life he has worked so hard to build.
Director Paul Thomas Anderson's highly acclaimed debut feature--based on the films of Jonathan Demme and John Cassavetes--is a tight, intricate film noir character study with a more disciplined plot than his later, more expansive films. The film also features excellent work from his four actors, particularly Hall as the experienced, world-weary Sydney, and fascinating details about the lowlife world the characters inhabit. HARD EIGHT originated as a short film, CIGARETTES AND COFFEE, that Anderson developed at the Sundance Film Institute.

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Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	1997
Release Date:	April 7, 2008
Runtime:	97 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P H E 9413
Keywords:	English, General, Crime, Hard, Eight, Sydney, Drama, Thriller
Genre:	Drama