8MM (1999)

A private investigator is hired to discover if a "snuff film" is authentic or not.

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writer:

Andrew Kevin Walker

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Tom Welles
Joaquin Phoenix	...	Max California
James Gandolfini	...	Eddie Poole
Peter Stormare	...	Dino Velvet
Anthony Heald	...	Daniel Longdale
Chris Bauer	...	George Higgins / Machine
Catherine Keener	...	Amy Welles
Myra Carter	...	Mrs. Christian
Amy Morton	...	Janet Mathews
Jenny Powell	...	Mary Ann Mathews
Anne Gee Byrd	...	Senator Michaelson
Jack Betts	...	Butler
Luis Oropeza	...	Archive Director
Rachel Singer	...	Neighbor
Don Creech	...	Mr. Anderson

Storyline

Private investigator Tom Welles is hired by the recently widowed Mrs. Christian who has found a startling pornographic film in her late husband's possessions. In the film a teenage girl is apparently killed and Welles is pretty sure it's a genuine snuff film. He takes the case, first going through records of runaways finally identifying the girl and learning that she may have run off to California. There he enters the seedy underworld of pornography with the help of Max California, a porn store clerk. His principal clue is the masked man who killed the girl as he has a unique tattoo on his hand. He soon finds the culprits but there is little satisfaction in resolving the mystery.

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Plot Keywords:

obsession | private eye | snuff film | hollywood | investigation | 

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Taglines:

Some doors should never be opened

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong perverse sexuality and violence, and for strong language

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

8 Millimeter

Filming Locations:

Clevelander Hotel - 1020 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£733,535 (UK) (23 April 1999)

Gross:

£2,391,380 (UK) (21 May 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Hofflund/Polone, Global Entertainment Productions GmbH & Company Medien KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The plot is extremely similar to that of Hardcore in which a man (George C. Scott) hires a private detective to track down his daughter after she runs away and he sees her in a 8MM porno movie. The plot is also very similar to a book called "The Cutting Room" by Louise Welsh in which an estate auctioneer finds disturbing photos among a client's porno collection and endeavors to find out if the girl in the pictures was actually killed.

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Goofs

When Dino says to Machine to hold down Tom Welles in the storage, Machine takes at the same time a knife in his (left) hand, but in the following scene, when Tom resists and shouts at Dino, we see once again Machine taking a knife from the table, in order to threaten Tom again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Airport Announcer: Welcome to Miami. While in the airport, please observe Florida and local laws which prohibit any smoking in the terminal. Thank you for not smoking.

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Connections

References Tesis (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Come To Daddy"
Written by Richard James
Performed by Aphex Twin
Courtesy of Sire Records Group/Warp Records Ltd.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Beware Of Brutal Topic

Wow, this is a tough subject but not as sordid a film as I figured it would be, although be warned the last 30 minutes are really rough in spots. Speaking of spots, this is a bloody movie in spots, too and very profane after the first 40 minutes. Yet, despite the unpleasant nature of the story (making a "snuff film" - filming the killing of people) it's a riveting one, well-acted and doesn't overdo the violence. The characters in here are some of the most despicable you could find - killer and porn kings.

Even our hero here, played by Nicholas Cage, starts off as a clean-cut fairly straight dude, and changes for the worst, too. Joaquin Phoenix has a good line in here, with the prophetic statement, "The devil doesn't change; he changes you."

James Gandolfini and Peter Stormare play characters about as bad you'll ever find in a movie. This film is not, as they say, for all tastes. It will turn off a lot of people but it is interesting and good revenge story, if you like that sort of thing and know what you're in for before watching this.