Hard Eight (Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, 1996) Paul Thomas Anderson's (Boogie Nights) debut, the neo-noirish Hard Eight, aka Sydney, combines sharply written dialogue with exceptional performances to create a moody, stylistic character drama. Extraordinary actor Philip Baker Hall (Secret Honor, Midnight Run, Boogie Nights), for which this role was written, plays Sydney. He is an elderly, courteous, distinguished gentleman with a cloudy past who we gradually learn knows quite a bit about gambling, so much so that he makes a living working the casinos. His striking presence, with cigarette in hand, melancholy and staid facial expression, and succinct way of speaking gives you the feeling he has seen and experienced just about everything.
The film opens at a coffee house just outside of Las Vegas where Sydney approaches a destitute young man named John, played by John C. Reilly (Boogie Nights, State of Grace) and invites him in for a cup of coffee and a cigarette. John agrees and as we follow their conversation we learn John went to Las Vegas in hopes of winning six thousand dollars to pay for his mother's funeral. For reasons unknown until the last reel of the film, Sydney befriends him and offers fifty dollars and a ride back to Vegas where he will coach John on how to swindle the casino into giving him a free room and a meal. The simple scam, which is both effective and amusing to watch, was supposedly practiced by the director when he was younger.
The next section of the film takes place two years later in Reno where we learn that Sydney and John are "old friends" and have a sort of father/son relationship. John wears the same clothes as Sydney and even orders the same drinks. We are then introduced to the other two supporting characters in the film, not so bright cocktail waitress/hooker Clementine, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, and malevolent casino security consultant Jimmy, played by the menacing Samuel L. Jackson. Clementine, although still hooking on the side, gets romantically involved with John. This pleases Sydney for a couple of reasons, it will hopefully stop Clementine from selling her body, and will curb the amount of time John hangs around with Jimmy. Sydney clearly doesn't like Jimmy and feels he is a bad influence. A serious situation arises involving all four characters which sheds light upon Sydney's involvement with John, and his own shady past, all leading up to the tension filled climax.
The high points of this film are the crisp dialogue and penetrating performances. The well written characters all possess certain noirish traits such as alienation, sorrow, despair and a morally casual attitude. The chemistry between the actors helps the viewer empathize with them and draws us into their lives. Hall's subtle, remarkable performance of Sydney is unforgettable and will make you want to see more of this talented underused actor. This movie was heavily influenced by French director Jean-Pierre Melville's classic Bob Le Flambeur (Bob the Gambler) and is also highly recommended. Hard Eight is available on DVD and VHS. Bob Le Flambeur is avilable on VHS.