8MM
As I was reading up on “8MM,” I learned that writer Andrew Kevin Walker and director Joel Schumacher had a falling out over the film; Walker was not pleased with changes made to “lighten” the film, and he’s all but disowned the movie. As I rewatched the film for the first time since 1999, I can’t help but wonder how the Hell this could be any darker. On the other hand, it’s easy to recognize that the film is not as grimy and sleazy as it should be, and that comes from Schumacher, a studio hand when it comes to this type of genre film, who will aim for pleasing the masses more than any artistic impulses in a film like this.
I have no doubt that “8MM” felt darker for me when I watched it in 1999 than it does now. It’s interesting to consider that this came out the same month as Brian Helgeland’s “Payback,” which also was met with studio interference when it comes to the tone the original project had around it. That one found the director removed, and reshots done to lighten the film into a more convention star vehicle; this one had a clash between studio and writer that the studio won. Both films are good at what they do in their theatrical released versions; we now have Helgeland’s “Director’s Cut” to compare and contrast with regards to “Payback”- I wonder if Walker will ever get a chance to have his original vision for “8MM” realized- with the right director, it could be a frightening thriller.
The film, if you are not familiar, has Nicolas Cage as Tom Welles, a private investigator who has a nose for uncovering seedy truths for the rich and powerful; when the film begins, he is following the son of a senator, and he is starting to get a reputation for being capable of discreet investigations. He isn’t home with his wife (Catherine Keener) and their newborn daughter long before he gets a call from the attorney of the wife of a recently-deceased billionaire. She has recently be clearing out her husband’s safe, and stumbled across a hidden 8mm home movie that appears to show a young girl murdered. Mrs. Christian would like for Tom to uncover whether it is real; he takes the case, but is under stipulation that he not reproduce the film. To begin his investigation as discreetly as possible, he begins by searching missing person files in hopes of finding the girl in the video; when he does, his journey leads him into the underground world of bondage pornography and hard sex that is a dangerous world to get lost in, both legally and psychologically.
Even if the studio and Schumacher “lightened up” Walker’s screenplay, this is a truly depraved look at humanity, explored as an indictment on the world that could even create a seeming “snuff film.” The hook Walker starts with, the idea of a film that shows a real murder being made for the pleasures of sick men, is a great one, and he dives in head first with Welles being our surrogate into this heart of darkness. Part of why the film doesn’t really seem to have any teeth in telling this story, though, is that any “edge” Schumacher tries to give the film, through its production design, cinematography and Mychael Danna score, is window-dressing; the film feels like a studio filmmaker trying to replicate the oppressive ugliness of “Se7en” without really having much conviction in really getting their hands dirty. It also keeps Cage on the leash a little too long; no, Welles should not be an immediately manic character, but it takes so long for the film’s slow-burn with the character to take hold that it neuters one of its best weapons. It’s not until he has James Gandolfini and Peter Stormare, each of whom are capable of their own unique brands of “big acting” to work with that Cage can take it to 11- this is especially surprising when you consider how much he and Joaquin Phoenix, who was just starting to turn the corner into one of our best character actors, and is immediately engaging as Max, who works at a porn store, and is his guide into the underworld, are together in this film. Give this cast to a different filmmaker, and I think we would have gotten a truly scummy, and gripping, thriller; Schumacher doesn’t really have that instinct to go for the gut punch here, and it’s a shame.
Some of the places “8MM” DOES go, however, are fascinating. Even if the end feels prolonged, there are moments- like a scene with Cage and Gandolfini- that are worth watching this film for, and a twist- although not really- had me thinking of another film from 1999 about an somewhat ordinary individual who uncovers the wicked sexual tastes of powerful men in Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut.” This is the work of a writer who has a distinct voice when it comes to recognizing the darkness in humanity, and testing the goodness of his main characters to do the right thing. Welles is not unlike Mills and Sommerset in “Se7en,” or Ichabod Crane in his script for “Sleepy Hollow,” in that way; Welles comes out the other side, but he’s changed, as a result. He gets a sign that he’s still someone with some good in him, though, through a letter sent to him by the girl’s mother, who reassures him of his humanity, and how he will be capable of moving on after what he’s seen. Not everyone can do so. Walker knows that, but he still hopes for the best to shine through.
