Movie: Hard Eight

This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.

Hard-Ass Has-Been

Plot Overview

At the end of Hard Eight an old inveterate gambler Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) eats by him­self at a road­side diner, followed by end credits with a song about Christmas. He is divorced and has two grown children who want nothing to do with him. The earliest scene is a flash­back of a young man John Finnegan (John C. Reilly) all dressed up, standing in line with other disinter­ested singles at a movie theater. The kickoff scene is of Sydney accosting John at Jack's Coffee Shop out­side of Vegas where he'd tapped out trying to win money to pay for his mom's funeral, he being her last remaining relation.

Sydney takes John under his wing on the gambling floor where we observe a feel-lucky bride enjoying herself by herself. Oh well. Sydney only gets his feet wet with encourage­ment from a ringer. Jump ahead two years and John is having modest success under the tutelage of conservative Sydney. The latter's good deed is along the lines of a Meredith Willis novel who wrote of “learning directly about the lives of the Dispos­sessed, not collecting statistics and reading scholarly journals. It is an age for action—” (42).

By and by Sydney takes a real interest in the life of Reno cocktail waitress Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow.) She owns two cats and is only so-so motivated to open a trendy beauty salon with her side earnings. She and John fall in love, have an ad hoc wedding, experience a serious misadventure, and head for a Niagara Falls honey­moon leaving Sydney to pick up the pieces.

Ideology

The poignant scenes in this other­wise lack­luster movie lend them­selves to comparison with one of Kenny Rogers's songs concerning a chance encounter with “The Gambler” on an unscheduled train. He offered his fellow passenger the advice that “the secret to surviving is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep.” The refrain goes:

You've got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away, Know when to run. You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

This wisdom of the gambling man's repertoire is old as the hills and was passed on by a raconteur, Agur in Proverbs 30:1, whose four meta­phors offered the same life advice as did Rogers's Gambler. That we find in, (Prov. 30:29-31) “There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.”

We have Agur's “lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any,” and we have Rogers's “know[ing] when to hold 'em.” On the wedding tape after it's determined there is no moral or legal impediment to their union, the happy couple goes over the standard requirements and then are told, “You may say your vows with a kiss.” They then repair to a local bar, and when John turns around, she's gone. Old habits die hard. John responds to her phone call, rescues his errant wife, and asks her if she wants an annulment. She promises never again to stray and puts it back on him, what does he want? He holds to his commitment out of love for her. That's big of him.

We have Agur's “king, against whom there is no rising up,” and we have Rogers's “Know[ing] when to fold 'em.” A king who knows when to give in to his subjects doesn't experience any uprising. Sydney gets robbed at gunpoint by a knave who just wants his money (“I'm not a killer ... like you.”) Sydney parts with it to be quit of him.

We have Agur's “he goat also” and we have Rogers's “Know[ing] when to walk away.” Clementine is reluctant to walk away from a hairy situation where she hadn't been paid (“This man won't pay me.”) Sydney having been called advises her, “You know the first thing they should've taught you at hooker school? You get the money up front!” Kidnap­ping and extortion could likely involve the police, but still she is reluctant to leave (“I want my money.”) Get a clue, babe.

We have Agur's “greyhound” and Rogers's “Know[ing] when to run.” Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson) a fair weather friend had migrated West from Atlantic City after he'd exhausted the trust of the hoods back East. He'd promised to help John, but when he saw their plight (“You were there”) he boogied on out of there (“Just for a minute.”) Truth be told there wasn't any­thing he could have done anyway, and he'd be in jeopardy him­self once the police arrived.

The gambler gave the advice:

You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Sydney gets a call from the honey­mooning couple. He sends his love. Come the holidays maybe they'll all be together.

Production Values

“” (1996) was written and directed by Paul Thomas Ander­son. It was a strong direc­torial debut. It stars Philip Baker Hall, John C. Rilley, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson. The actors played it straight in their assigned roles, none trying to hog the lime­light. As a troupe they pulled it off.

It was rated R for strong language, some violence and sexuality. Music was by Jon Brion and Michael Penn, cinema­tog­raphy by Robert Elswit. Runtime is 1 hour 41 minutes.

Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation

Here is a study on loneliness in a city of action, attempts people made to meet people, develop friend­ships, and/or partner up. While the principals were reclusive, Jimmy was down­right antisocial after his second drink and intolerable when sleep deprived. Not a gambling or action movie per se but an excellent character study. Short enough not to get boring.

Movie Ratings

Action factor: Decent action scenes. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day. Suspense: A few suspenseful moments. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.

Works Cited

Scripture taken from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.

Rogers, Kenny. Songwriter Don Schlitz. “The Gambler.” Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Pub. LLC. Web.

Willis, Meredith Sue. Only Great Changes. Copyright © 1985 Meredith Sue Willis. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1985. Print.