My Review of 8mm (1999)

 

Written by Andrew Kevin Walker 

Directed by Joel Schumacher 

Max California: "There are some things that you see, and you can't unsee them. Know what I mean?"

I remember I watched this movie as a teenager and for some reason, I just ended up revisiting it the other day. It's a movie with a heavy subject matter and a performance from Nicholas Cage that's in the middle of his performances I guess.

Cage played a private investigator named Tom Welles. Welles was contacted by Daniel Longdale (Anthony Heald). This was on behalf of a wealthy but surprisingly decent widow named Mrs. Christian (Myra Carter). Basically she discovered about her late husband that she rather wished she hadn't.

The something being a snuff movie in his possession. Mrs. Christian wanted Welles to find out if the woman in the film was actually alive. Welles took on the case and learned that the woman was called Mary Ann Mathews (Jenny Powell) and that naturally led into a rather dark underbelly in itself.

Taking on the role of sidekick/fetish expert was adult video store clerk Max California (Joaquin Phoenix). He's a great foil to Welles and I actually really liked the back and forth both men had with each other. It also helped that Max genuinely wanted to help Welles get justice but at a price.

The bad guys in this movie were as clichéd as you could get. It wasn't too shocking that Longdale ended up being involved in the seedy world of those type of movies and he got a much deserved comeuppance. Of course he was more of a bit player.

The real villains were pornographer Dino Velvet (Peter Storm are) and his right hand "Machine" (Chris Bauer). Both are pretty despicable characters and both get their just desserts as did Eddie Poole (James Gandolfini). The events of the movie rightly impact Welles going forward.

- Other actors who popped up here included Norman Reedus as Warren Anderson and Catherine Keener as Welles's wife, Amy.

- Mark Walhberg was originally cast as Max California but dropped out.

- Standout music: Aphex Twins Come To Daddy was frequently used.

- Chronology: Took place in both Hollywood and North California.

8mm isn't an easy watch. It tackled a very dark subject matter and did it's best to give it the necessary weight required. It's fairly successful with solid performances throughout. Not a career high or low for anyone involved.

Rating: 6 out of 10