Hard Eight

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: February 28, 1997

6.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 89 Ratings

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Justinavery7074Apr 7, 2011

**** is this movie great. There are only a few number of filmakers that have a flawless track record. And PT Anderson is definitely one of those. Because this film has some great characters. ANd it has everything that Ocean's Eleven should've had.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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amheretojudgeMay 6, 2018

you get the money up front..

Hard Eight The feature is scattered among few dramatic and chaotic sequences that upbeats its scale to a whole new level with enough material to feed the audience for around 100 minutes of its runtime. Its ayou get the money up front..

Hard Eight

The feature is scattered among few dramatic and chaotic sequences that upbeats its scale to a whole new level with enough material to feed the audience for around 100 minutes of its runtime. Its a rare character driven feature that has quiet a good pace that holds the audience on the edge of their seat which usually isn't the case. Paul Thomas Anderson aces on creating such amusing characters that tackles their way up and through his knockout execution skills, he has got this round covered. Philip Baker Hall has done some of his career's best work amng other cast that has thoroughly supported him like John C. Riley, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson. Hard Eight hits hard and fast and knocks it right out of the park where despite of having brilliant performance on its side, the feature endorses Paul Thomas Anderson and its skills that is visible all over the screen.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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SpangleFeb 7, 2014

Really well done. Amazing to think that this was Paul Thomas Anderson's first effort, because he handles everything like a grisled vet in this. The film was slow, but built up nicely and the characters were all marvelously crafted. MainReally well done. Amazing to think that this was Paul Thomas Anderson's first effort, because he handles everything like a grisled vet in this. The film was slow, but built up nicely and the characters were all marvelously crafted. Main complaint were that while it was really well done, it never really made that "jump". I think this one could have been even better, but it seemed content being what it was and was relatively safe all around. In addition, I just never really bought into John C. Reilly's performance. All of the other performances were great, but his stood out to me as something that just did not quite fit with the rest of the film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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DrBlahBlahApr 26, 2021

An underrated gem from PTA, with great characters and a memorable lead. Not as great as future films but a solid first effort.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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JLuis_001Oct 16, 2017

It was a long time ago when I watched this film and without a doubt still a different film in PT Anderson's career because it does not feel like the rest of his filmography and yet it was a solid movie in which he got great performances fromIt was a long time ago when I watched this film and without a doubt still a different film in PT Anderson's career because it does not feel like the rest of his filmography and yet it was a solid movie in which he got great performances from its cast in spite of the small deficiencies of the script.
It was a great debut and certainly a must stop for any fan of his work.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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NickTheCritickNov 3, 2021

This movie is a thrilling and entertaining road movie but it denotes a still acerb Paul Thomas Anderson that is not fully aware of his immense skills as director yet. In many parts of the movie I feel like it is not even directed by PTA andThis movie is a thrilling and entertaining road movie but it denotes a still acerb Paul Thomas Anderson that is not fully aware of his immense skills as director yet. In many parts of the movie I feel like it is not even directed by PTA and it's like someonebelse decided the editing.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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M7AMDAug 22, 2023

This is a classic 90' movie that includes a lot of dine-in restaurants meeting scenes, some swearing and gambling, and a lot of smoking. lol

I did like all the actors in the movie, the way they act and talk to each other felt natural but theThis is a classic 90' movie that includes a lot of dine-in restaurants meeting scenes, some swearing and gambling, and a lot of smoking. lol

I did like all the actors in the movie, the way they act and talk to each other felt natural but the story was missing a much better ending than that, while the story revealed some twist at the end and i was looking for more thing from the movie but it suddenly ends! I still don't know what the movie was all about exactly but from what i understood is he was missing the love and affection of his children (he kinda gave a hint while talking to Clementine) and also was looking for some forgiveness for what he had done in the past so he wanted to compensate that by looking after the lost man he met at the begging. however, this movie deserves way better ending.

Overall i enjoyed sitting late at night watching it and i definitely would recommend it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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