8MM (1999)

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writer (WGA):

Andrew Kevin Walker (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Private Eye | Obsession | Hollywood | Surveillance | Snuff Film

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

8 Millimeter (USA) (working title)
8mm - Acht Millimeter (Germany)
Eight Millimeter (USA) (working title)
Sexy World (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:R (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #36153) | Singapore:PG (original rating) (heavily cut) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Belgium:KNT | Chile:18 | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) | France:-16 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:VM18 | Japan:PG-12 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | Iceland:16 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | Canada:18+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

David Fincher was the first choice to direct this film.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Tom Welles is giving cash and a plane ticket to Max California in the bar, Max mistakenly calls Tom "Mike".

Quotes:

[after Tom Welles has asked for his "assistance"]
Max California: I don't know exactly what you're looking for, but just for the record - I'm straight.
Tom Welles: Congratulations.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (1999-03-06)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Come To Daddy

Joel Schumacher's eerie masterpiece

It has always been a puzzle to me why the public opinion was always against Joel Schumacher. I never understood even why THEY decided that Schumacher's BATMANS were so horrifically worse than Burton's & probably I will never understand the reasons of 8mm's undervaluation. This film took me in it's stranglehold from the very first frame & kept me pressed tight to the back of my seat until the end; the tension was so high that it made my heart beat faster. This dark, exciting & terrifying journey to the vaults of the deepest underground of the movie industry. For me personally it was an exploration of a totally new world, I had no idea even what SNUFF FILM meant until I saw 8mm. I was shocked to learn that somewhere out there some people are filming scenes of actual murder & torture of real people & that these 'films' even have loyal following & that there even are some cult snuff film directors. Thus the story is dark, no signs of light here & this maybe is even disturbing in some sense, but it's never boring, it's never pale, it's never flawed. In contrary it's exciting & thrilling. I think that Andrew Kevin Walker's screenplay of 8mm is one of the best scripts ever written. This is a perfect screenplay. Story developing is like a roller-coaster with no descents, like a one way up; each next event in the film stands on a higher level of dramatic effect saturation than the previous one. This makes viewers' nerves strain tighter & by the end they are ready to break. & this brilliant screenplay is brilliantly translated into frames, into the film. Everything from direction, through production design, cinematography, editing to lighting in this film is matched perfectly to create a dark atmosphere & keep the DC voltage high, to make the viewer experience the same shock, confusion & horror as the main character, to make the viewer care for real.

For me 8mm is a celebration, it's a marvel, the magic (though dark) world which will absorb you into itself, which will make you forget everything other & let you travel through the unforgettable cinematic adventure.