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Starring:
Nicolas Cage,
Joaquin Phoenix,
James Gandolfini,
Peter Stormare,
Chris Bauer,
Anthony Heald,
Catherine Keener
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker
Produced by: Judy Hofflund, Gavin Polone, and Jeff Levine
I've
seen numerous thrillers in the past where there was such an
emphasis on the "atmosphere" rather than the story line -
films that looked good but were otherwise pretty empty. "Eight
Millimeter" is a movie that works in reverse; the atmosphere
is the lifeblood of the story rather than a distraction from
it. It is that intoxicating, increasingly claustrophobic air
circling over the characters like a bird of prey that drives
this story forward. It alters their perceptions and influences
their decisions. It doesn't merely add to the story. It is
the story.
The
plot traces the attempts of Tom Welles (Nicolas Cage) to locate
the whereabouts of a young girl featured in what is referred
to as a "snuff" film. On the little eight millimeter strip,
she appears to be brutally killed, but his job is to find
out exactly what happened. His search leads him to numerous
locations, and eventually he winds up on the streets of Hollywood,
surrounded by the blood-thirsty, sexually sadistic atmosphere
of hard-core pornography. He befriends a porn-video store
clerk (Joaquin Phoenix) and enlists his help in an effort
to get closer to the filmmakers he believes may know what
happened to the young victim. They are Eddie Poole (James
Gandolfini) and a snuff film "artist" named Dino Velvet (Peter
Stormare); two of the sleaziest characters to come around
in a long time.
The
film was directed by Joel ("A Time to Kill","Batman & Robin")
Schumacher, who is a master visual artist and the right director
for this movie. He has a good handle on the material and makes
the right decisions on how to let the horror of the story
unfold. For example, we never get to see the girl being murdered
on the film. That's a wise decision. We learn much more watching
Welles' reaction than we would seeing the slaying, plus it
activates our imagination - what we envision in our mind is
far scarier than what we would see. Another interesting scene
is where Velvet and Poole, having realized that Welles is
an investigator, set a trap for him in an effort to retrieve
the film. They set it up as a hostage situation, but what
makes it unique is the way they set it up. It looks like something
out of a Dino Velvet film, complete with S & M paraphernalia,
fancy knives, a crossbow, and a snuff film "celebrity" named
Machine (Chris Bauer). The whole thing is set up and lit as
a sleazy porn film with the utmost Pythagorean precision.
The
writer, Andrew Kevin Walker, also wrote the movie "Seven".
The two films are similar in that they are both about characters
who stare into the deepest, darkest abyss of human nature,
and question their beliefs and values as a result. This new
"world" that Welles has come to inhabit affects him so deeply
that at one point, he calls the mother of the victim, asking
her permission to hurt the men responsible for what happened
to her daughter. He listens to her sob uncontrollably, feeding
off the shattered emotions only a mother could feel, to gain
the strength for ultimate revenge. It's a morally questionable
act; one which shows just how far down into the abyss he has
fallen.
Good
performances add to the film's success. The villains are especially
effective, most notably Peter ("Fargo","Armageddon") Stormare
as the porn artist Dino Velvet. He's not a vicious thug, but
a rather laid-back eccentric who views death as a form of
expressionist art. When he gets shot (as most all villains
do), he mutters "No. No. This is not a good ending. This is
not how I should go out," as though he had already envisioned
a more "cinematic" death for himself. Chris Bauer, as Machine,
has very few lines except near the end, where he delivers
a speech about why he enjoys killing that sends chills straight
down the spine. And Joaquin ("To Die For","Inventing the Abbots")
Phoenix, as Max, the video store clerk, certainly looks the
part but comes across as more intelligent and perceptive than
one might expect. When he says to Welles, "When you dance
with the Devil, you don't change the Devil. The Devil changes
you," we get the feeling he knows what he's talking about.
When
films like this are done well, they carry an aura on authenticity
with them. That's what makes it scary. Is there true evil
in the world, as this film seems to suggest? I don't know.
Watching "Eight Millimeter" is as close as I want to get to
finding out.
Copyright
2001 Michael Brendan McLarney Critically
Ill
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