Classic Movie Pick: ‘Hard Eight’ is an atmospheric crime drama complete with mesmerizing performances

“Hard Eight,” a noir film steeped in deceptions and complicated loyalties, as well as being the directorial debut of Paul Thomas Anderson, is this week’s Classic Movie Pick.

One of the most critically acclaimed films this year is “One Battle After Another,” which is still playing in theaters. The director is Paul Thomas Anderson, and there is serious Oscar buzz around the film. You know the Oscar buzz is serious when it happens even before Oscar-buzz season. This week’s classic pic takes us back to 1996 for Anderson’s first feature film “Hard Eight,” a Neo-Noir crime story set in the world of casinos, diners and cocktail lounges.  

The film tells the story of John, played by John C. Reilly, who’s a down-and-out gambler and loner who loses everything in Vegas casinos. Things turn around a little bit when John meets Sydney, played by Philip Baker Hall. You might remember Hall as the crazy library cop named Bookman who tries to collect an age-old past due fee on Seinfeld. Sydney takes John under his wing and teaches him a better gambling strategy, which leads to more respect and complimentary hotel rooms in Reno casinos.

While at the hotel, John and Sydney meet Clementine, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, who Sydney also starts to look after. Clementine is a waitress and a part-time prostitute, who ends up marrying John. Samuel Jackson is also part of this great cast playing Jimmy, another gambler who reveals that Sydney has a secret past, one that would completely change John’s opinion about his new mentor. Don’t worry – there won’t be any spoilers here.

Paul Thomas Anderson is the hottest director in Hollywood at the moment. His other credits include “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” “There Will Be Blood,” and “Punch Drunk Love” to name just a few. Oftentimes, a well-done short film can open the door to an entire career – such was the case with “Hard Eight.” The movie was made possible after Anderson made a short called “Cigarettes and Coffee,” which got major buzz at Sundance and other film festivals.

The short was about three groups of people at a diner near Las Vegas. Anderson was working as a TV production assistant at the time, and Philip Baker Hall was an actor on one of the projects, so Anderson passed him the script for “Cigarettes and Coffee.” Hall agreed to do the short for no money. The rest is history, as we now have an entire library of Paul Thomas Anderson films. If “One Battle After Another” lands Anderson an Academy Award, it will be his first, although he’s been nominated 11 times for his work as a writer, producer and director on eight different films. 

Hard Eight’s original title was “Sydney,” named after Hall’s character. There is also an appearance in the film by Philip Seymour Hoffman in a classic scene at a Craps table. According to Philip Baker Hall, Hoffman improved all of his lines. Reilly, Hall, and Hoffman all appeared in Anderson’s follow up “Boogie Nights,” as well as “Magnolia” a couple of years later.

As respected as Anderson is now as a filmmaker, this being his first feature film showed him what little control he really had as the director. His first cut of “Hard Eight” was two-and-a-half hours long and he refused to make edits, forcing producer Robert Jones to fire him and his editor. It was Jones who approached Anderson in the first place after seeing “Cigarettes and Coffee” at Sundance about turning it into a feature film. The final run time of “Hard Eight” is one hour and 36 minutes, and it’s a pretty tight film, so some of the cuts might not have been so bad.

Anderson did manage a smaller victory, however, when “Hard Eight” was accepted at the Cannes Film Festival and they requested the director’s cut. With the studio demanding to change the title and the run time, Anderson realized that making the movie was only half the battle. On every film since, Anderson has had final cut approval. 

Final say or not, Anderson’s first feature film is still a great watch, so check out “Hard Eight.” It’s this week’s classic movie pick.

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join host Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.