Nicolas Cage in "Eight Millimeter."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Nicolas Cage and Joaquin Phoenix Director: Joel Schumacher Rated: R, with strong violence, sex and profanity Length: 119 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(Feb. 26, 1999) -- Do snuff films really exist? And if they do, what sort of people make movies in which someone is murdered?

In Eight Millimeter, private detective Tom Welles (Nicolas Cage) is initially skeptical. But as he delves deeper into his latest case, he discovers a perverse and dangerous heart of darkness.

As he gets closer to the truth, he finds that the real threat may be to his own psyche. As a porn shop clerk tells him, "When you dance with the devil, the devil doesn't change. The devil changes you."

Eight Millimeter is Joel Schumacher's new thriller, a disturbing excursion into the world of hard-core pornography. And its atmosphere suggests other notable dark mysteries like Seven, Hardcore, the superior Silence of the Lambs, and, perhaps, Schumacher's own Falling Down.

The film establishes Welles as a loving family man with a supportive wife, Amy (Catherine Keener), and a baby they adore.

Welles hates any job that takes him away from his Harrisburg, Pa., home. His wife hates any job that requires him to carry a gun or encourages him to keep sneaking cigarettes.

But when a wealthy widow (Myra Carter) requests his services, he can't resist. Doing the job could set him up for life. "It's college tuition for the baby," he tells Amy -- and a big boost for his ego.

The widow has found a short 8mm film in her late husband's safe -- a hard-core porn film in which a young girl seems to be murdered. She wants Welles to investigate, hoping he'll prove the girl is still alive.

Welles traces the film to the rough fringes of Los Angeles, where the girl apparently worked in the porn movie business, mistakenly thinking it would lead to Hollywood stardom.

Welles befriends an intelligent, amiable porn shop clerk (Joaquin Phoenix), who becomes his guide into this sick world. Though most people, even in porn, insist snuff films are an urban myth, Welles learns they may exist.

But as he's increasingly sickened by what he's uncovering, Welles turns more cynical, more angry and, perhaps, more violent.

Cage gives a restrained, close-to-the-vest performance as Welles. The changes in his demeanor are subtle, yet substantial. He's a vulnerable guy who tries to hide his fear, even when he realizes he's in way over his head.

Phoenix brings welcome humor and surprising sensitivity as the porn clerk; Amy Morton is heart-breaking as the mother of the missing girl.

James Gandolfini is effective as a weak-willed, slimy porn producer. And Peter Stormare is appropriately disgusting as Dino Velvet, a flamboyant S&M "auteur."

Eight Millimeter isn't a comfortable movie, and it's obviously not for everyone. Its world is sadistic and brutal, and it doesn't leave you with a good feeling.

But it is powerfully played and conscientiously filmed. And despite its relentlessly murky tone, the evil it shows is perfectly clear.