MovieChat Forums > 8MM (1999) Discussion > Not great, not bad, but definitely watch...

Not great, not bad, but definitely watchable

posted 3 years ago by WrepDrep (386)
8 replies | jump to latest

The Moroccan music was good but off, they should've gone with more Aphex Twin.

I had a hard time believing that a private investigator - Nic Cage least of all - would be so sensitive to violent footage.
It felt forced or even satirical.

But Joaquin Phoenix was great. Stormare and Gandolfini too. Cage was interesting to watch in his own weird way.
Loved the theme, loved the darkness, loved the depravity.
A weak 7/10 or a strong 6.5/10 from me.
It could've been more, with Fincher as director instead of Schumacher.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 3 years ago

He had probably never seen a real snuff film, when it’s real it’s a lot harder to watch.

[–] SteveG (1370) 3 years ago

Spoilers….

I thought this was an amazing performance by Cage. He gave us everything in this. We got serious actor Cage and unhinged Cage and it all fit into the context of the story. We saw a full range of his talents outside of the macho hero archetype. In 2022 we know snuff does exist and is real but in 1999 it was still urban legend. I also think this is one of Schumacher’s better directorial works except for the very end conflict with the Machine. That was a bit by the numbers and hamfisted. But on the other hand I will never forget the scene when Cage calls her mother seeking permission/motivation to kill Gandolfini. That was powerful and goes to good writing. That Moroccan music was completely out of place and did not belong and your right that this seemed like a perfect David Fincher project. I gave 8/10 and it still holds up.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 3 years ago

I also think this is an incredibly entertaining movie and Cage was on his A game here. Hell I don’t think there was a single bad performance and I didn’t mind the music, I got kind of a Blade Runner type vibe and in all honesty this movie is a detective movie much like Blade Runner.

As for Schumacher he’s not a bad director at all but he’ll always be remembered for those two crappy Batman movies he made (although in all honesty the studio were the ones who wanted the overly campy direction, not Schumacher). But I do like The Lost Boys, Falling Down and 8MM. A Time To Kill though I think my problems with it are with Grisham not Schumacher, I just thought it was an overly contrived liberal wet dream and the message of it was sooooooo wrong. I did read the Appeal and it was one of the worst novels I have ever read.

[–] Drooch (5333) 3 years ago

I saw A Time To Kill when it was released and found it underwhelming.

It was also kinda racist - at the end McConaughey in court describes the awful rape and murder of the young black girl, then he pauses and says… ‘now imagine she’s white’, as if this is supposed to make us view the crime differently?

The colour of the girl made no difference to me, but I guess it did to Schumacher’s liberal audience 🤷🏻‍♂️

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 3 years ago

Not sure if that line was in the novel but if it is then you have a problem with Grisham not Schumacher. All he had to say was “imagine she’s your daughter” and it would have had the same effect. The imagine she’s “white” line was so wrong. If we are ever going to move past the issue of race then we need to start seeing people as individuals not skin colors, the problem is some liberal elites don’t want us to move past the issues because it benefits them.

[–] Drooch (5333) 3 years ago

Correct.

[–] enriquesingh (1812) 3 years ago

I was really expecting this movie to be great, because it was by the same screenwriter of Se7en and the director of Falling Down... when I originally saw it I thought it was too dark and actually disliked it.

Years later I have come to appreciate it a lot and consider it slightly underrated.

On first viewing I would probably rate it a 4.5/10.

Now for me... it's perhaps a 6.5/10.

Cage definitely saves it.

[–] Drooch (5333) 3 years ago

It’s a great thriller and one of my favourite Schumacher films.

The only drawbacks were Cage playing a normal, polite man (he settles into the role when he starts going nuts). Katherine Keener was annoying. The old lady’s acting is a bit off, and the film was clearly censored when they slash Max’s throat. I also agree with another poster that the final fight with Machine was… uninventive.

Other than that it’s a great, absorbing, twisted thriller with an impeccable cast. I wish they made films like this nowadays 😞