8MM (1999) * * * *

Directed by:  Joel Schumacher

Starring:  Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Morton, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Anthony Heald, Chris Bauer, Peter Stormare

The Plot:   Private detective Tom Wells (Cage) is hired by a rich widow to verify the authenticity of a snuff film found in her late husband's vault.     His search takes him into a dark, amoral world he isn't quite prepared for.

I described the plot, but not the substance behind it.    People may likely hear about the plot and assume its subject is strictly about snuff films, but the film is what leads Wells into a world of hardcore pornography that transforms him.   It is difficult for Wells to walk through the murk without getting any on him.  He doesn't get away clean.

8MM is a powerful film, directed by Joel Schumacher as part thriller and part character study.    We see and learn about not only Wells, but Janet Matthews (Morton), the mother of the girl seemingly hacked to death in the film, who only wants to know for sure what happened to her daughter.    We meet Max California (Phoenix), a porn video store clerk who acts as Wells' guide through LA's deep, dark porn industry.     Wells is out of his depth, so Max, who once had dreams of film stardom, takes Wells on a tour of what could pass for Dante's Inferno.

Through painstaking investigative work, Wells is able to track down the makers of the film, who for a high price specialize in making whatever film turns you on, even if it involves murder.    One of the most intense scenes in the movie occurs when Wells calls Janet and asks for her permission to kill one of the film's slimy producers.     In his search for the truth and justice for the murdered girl, Wells becomes something that he never anticipated he would, which by the end has changed him.     His last words to his wife are "Save Me" as he cries helplessly in her arms.     Not "I Love You", but "Save Me".    We certainly understand why and this is a strong, moving scene.  

Schumacher juxtaposes Wells' professional life with his private one.    He has a wife he loves (Keener) and a baby, both of whom become targets when he gets closer to the truth about the film.    He calls her daily, seeking the sound of her voice and the baby's to keep him sane.     Most movie character's family lives are perfunctory and thrown in for color.    In 8MM, it's Wells' family that keeps him from spiraling out of control.  

8MM is not a film with a happy ending or even answers to some of the characters' motives.    When Wells confronts the hooded killer from the film, known as "The Machine", he asks why he murdered the girl.    The Machine bluntly states, "I do these things because I like to do them.    I wasn't abused or molested."     In some cases, this is a simple truth when we rack our brains trying to comprehend evil.     It can't be explained or comprehended, which is something Wells discovers as much as we do.