Today's media are often accused of making the world look worse than it really is by concentrating almost exclusively on news related to disasters, terrorist acts, serial killers, child abuse and sex scandals. Yet some things that happen in the world are so bad that the mainstream media chooses to leave the world in blissful ignorance. Only recently Western public learned that the brutal killing of helpless prisoners - crime that most governments usually try to cover up - could be recorded on tape and later distributed among selected audience in order to bring new recruits to killers' cause. In the world faced with this unpleasant truth films like 8MM, 1999 thriller directed by Joel Schumacher, lost much of their impact.
Protagonist of the film is Tom Welles (played by Nicolas Cage), well-educated "surveillance expert" whose professionalism and sense of discretion earned him a wealthy and respectable clientele. One of those powerful people requiring his services is Mrs. Christian (played by Myra Richards), immensely rich widow who had discovered potentially disturbing item among things belonging to her dead husband. The item in question is a piece of 8mm film graphically depicting rape and murder of young girl (played by Jenny Powell). The widow wants to know whether the murder was simulated or real. Welles is sceptical towards urban legends about "snuff" films but he nevertheless agrees to start investigation. He manages to identify girl – a runaway teen from Pennsylvania - and the trail leads to Los Angeles where she, just like thousands of teens from all across America, hoped to start an acting career. Welles, of course, knows that she ended up in the seedy underworld of Los Angeles porn industry. He needs guide to this world and finds him in the form of Max California (played by Joaquin Phoenix), failed musician who works as an adult store clerk in order to make ends meet. Two of them are cruising through the Los Angeles porn underworld until they locate Dino Velvet (played by Peter Stormare), cult director of underground S&M films.
Joel Schumacher approached this film with the clear sense of purpose. Following the disaster called Batman & Robin, he desperately needed to convince the world that he can still make at least tolerable films. The best way for that was in material as far from Batman & Robin as possible. Schumacher found it in the script by Andrew Kevin Walker, author known for the naturalistically dark exploration of human depravity in Se7en - film which was total opposite of the light-hearted treatment of campy superhero franchise. Another reason why this film got made could be found in mainstream Hollywood's desire to distance itself from the porn industry (which was being surprisingly sympathetically portrayed in Anderson's Boogie Nights two years earlier).
Schumacher and Walker tried very hard but that wasn't enough for 8MM to succeed. Schumacher swapped the light and glamour of Batman & Robin for decay and darkness in 8MM; at times the film is literally too dark and audience has problems knowing what is actually happening on screen. Walker's script, on the other hand, suffers from inevitable comparisons with Schrader's Hardcore. Protagonist in this film - squeaky clean family man who turns into righteous avenger - is simply not that interesting (and looks like a cardboard character compared with George C. Scott's fundamentalist Christian in Hardcore). Characters belonging to porn underworld are equally one-dimensional - they are scum without any redeeming qualities. It is obvious that 8MM portrayed Los Angeles porn scene so badly in order to make self-righteous and "socially responsible" Hollywood look better; in characterisation of Dino Velvet this film goes even further and demonises independent film-makers who dare to break the sacred rules established by major studios. The only exception among those characters is Max California who was supposed to provide some sort of comic relief; despite Joaquin Phoenix's best efforts, comedy seems to be incompatible with this sort of story.
Despite those flaws, 8MM for the most part works as dark and engrossing thriller. Mychael Danna's music is very effective. Unfortunately, at end film begins to drown itself in cliches and annoying predictability. At that time viewers would begin to notice film's problems with pacing. The end actually comes at least 40 minutes too late and represents huge disappointment – final showdown between Welles and evildoer takes place in the graveyard during rainy night; its Gothic corniness is so distanced from the film's realistic grittiness that 8MM at that time looks like unintentional parody of itself.
Despite its ultimate failure and waste of many talents, 8MM managed to restore Joel Schumacher's reputation. However, it is a shame that Schumacher didn't use this opportunity to make a slightly better film. And this film is even more unpleasant to contemplate on when we remember that some of the disturbing issues touched by it aren't related only to urban legends or a handful of despicable perverts.
RATING: 4/10 (+)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on June 14th 2004)
Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com
Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/
Cent profile https://beta.cent.co/@drax
Minds profile https://www.minds.com/drax_rp_nc
Uptrennd profile https://www.uptrennd.com/user/MTYzNA
Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax
BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG
ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7
