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 & 2 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

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, Welles 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 private eye.

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Plot Keywords:

male full frontal nudity | sexual sadism | snuff film | male frontal nudity | female full frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

You can't prepare for where the truth will take you.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actress (Jenny Powell) playing the character of Mary Ann Mathews was originally a stripper hired to act as a stand-in. Joel Schumacher gave her the part of the victim on the 8mm film as she had a suitably "haunted" look about her.

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Goofs

When Tom Welles first meets Janet Mathews, he is looking at pictures of Mary Anne when he comes across a young picture of Janet. During the close up shots of the photographs, the picture behind the photo of Janet shows Mary Anne in a white shirt and green dress, while in the expanded shot of Janet and Tom, the photo shows Mary Anne in a blue shirt.

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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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Alternate Versions

The German theatrical version is allegedly 9 seconds longer. Additional footage shows more of Poole being beaten to death by Tom Welles.

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Connections

Referenced in Cold Case: Daniela (2004)

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Soundtracks

Sick With It
Written by Tairrie Beth, Marcelo Palomino, Rico Villasenor & Brian Harrah
Performed by Tura Satana
Courtesy of Noise Records

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.

Details

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

8 Millimeter

Filming Locations:

Buena Vista Avenue, Yonkers, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,252,888, 28 February 1999

Gross USA:

$36,663,315

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$96,618,699

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, 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