8MM
Arnita D. Brown | USA | 02/09/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Tom Welles, private eye, is hired by a wealthy widow, whose well-known husband passed away recently. She has found a reel of S8-film in a safe. On the film is a cruel slaughtering of a young girl, who obviously does not pretend or act: A snuff-movie. Welles takes up investigation, which leads him to the girl's mother and from there to Hollywood, into the office of a porn flick producer. Welles' rising obsession to solve the case also carries him away from his wife and new-born daughter. But when finally names are at hand, Welles suddenly finds himself on ice much thinner than he planned. The last 20 minutes of the movie are heart pounding and breathtaking. Director Joel Schumacher delivers one of the most mind haunting dramas you will ever see and gives us a story that won't be easy to forget. It's dark, moody, creepy, brilliant, and disturbing. When all the pieces finally come together, you'll be glad you went along for the ride."
Thought Provoking
Hariharan Venkatesh | New Delhi, India | 08/03/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The film is really rivetting and Nicolas Cage is very good as the Private Investigator who is bent upon finding the fate of the girl.
Hariharan Venkatesh
New Delhi
India"
Beware Of Brutal Topic
Craig Connell | Lockport, NY USA | 07/05/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Wow, this is a tough subject but not as sordid a film as I figured it would be, although be warned the last 30 minutes are really rough in spots. Yet, despite the unpleasant nature of the story (making a "snuff film" - filming the killing of people) it's a riveting one, well-acted and doesn't overdo the violence. The characters in here are some of the most despicable you could find - killer and porn kings.
Even our hero here, played by Nicholas Cage, starts off as a clean-cut fairly straight dude, and changes for the worst, too. Joaquin Phoenix has a good line in here, with the prophetic statement, "The devil doesn't change; he changes you."
James Gandolfini and Peter Stormare play characters about as bad you'll ever find in a movie. This film is not, as they say, for all tastes. It will turn off a lot of people but it is interesting and good revenge story, if you like that sort of thing and know what you're in for before watching this.
"