Synopsis
A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, he relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of evidence to determine the fate of a complete stranger. As his work turns into obsession, he drifts farther and farther away from his wife, family and simple life as a small-town PI.
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Cast
- Nicolas CageTom Welles
- Joaquin PhoenixMax California
- James GandolfiniEddie Poole
- Peter StormareDino Velvet
- Anthony HealdDaniel Longdale
- Chris BauerGeorge Higgins
- Catherine KeenerAmy Welles
- Myra CarterMrs. Christian
- Amy MortonJanet Mathews
- Norman ReedusWarren Anderson
Recommendations
- 75
San Francisco Examiner
This is not a movie for the squeamish, by any means. But for those who like their thrillers dark and their heroes a bit more complicated and flawed than the average shoot-without-a-blink type so prevalent in today's movies, 8MM fills the bill. - 42
Entertainment Weekly
The whole movie turns into a violent, pointless, torture-or-be-tortured chase. - 40
Slate
The moral contortions of 8MM seem especially bogus, a sadomasochistic peep show booth pretending to be a confessional. - 40
TV Guide Magazine
The superficially cheery “Boogie Nights” is infinitely scarier. - 40
The New York Times
Schumacher almost invariably breathes more life into his material than he has here. It's a lot easier to tick off the forced, farfetched touches in Eight Millimeter than to count the ones that ring true. - 30
Variety
A movie that keeps jumping the gate and finally unravels all over the floor. - 0
San Francisco Chronicle
Voyeuristically wallows in the sadistic violence it professes to deplore. What hypocrisy! - 0
Salon
Almost as degrading as any unmarked video you can buy in the back alleys of Manila, and, in its pseudo-significance and arty pretension, it's a lot less honest. I'm heartily sorry I had to poison an entire evening with it.
