Hard Eight
Directed by Paul Thomas AndersonJohn has lost all his money. He sits outside a diner in the desert when Sydney happens along, buys him coffee, then takes him to Reno and shows him how to get a free room without losing much money. Under Sydney's fatherly tutelage, John becomes a successful small-time professional gambler, and all is well, until he falls for Clementine, a cocktail waitress and sometimes hooker.
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Hard Eight Ratings & Reviews
- partyk1d24December 3, 2025So many good actors
- Joe MurgiaOctober 8, 2025Hoffman nearly steals the movie in a 3-minute scene, great film.
- James SaenzOctober 2, 2025“never ignore a man’s courtesy.” promising neo-noir start with an interesting midpoint development that ultimately leads to a mostly flat back half. philip baker hall carries the narrative to its conclusion with a stellar performance, but he’s not the most memorable philip in this picture either. i also don’t quite know how to come to terms with how the film depicts women, especially with clementine’s relationship to john.
- russrev1ewsSeptember 21, 2025Simple and thoughtful examination of fatherhood under complicated circumstances.
Hard Eight Trivia
Hard Eight was released on February 28, 1996.
Hard Eight was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Hard Eight has a runtime of 1 hr 42 min.
Hard Eight was produced by Robert Jones, John S. Lyons.
The key characters in Hard Eight are Sydney (Philip Baker Hall), John (John C. Reilly), Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Hard Eight is rated R.
Hard Eight is a Drama, Crime, Thriller film.
Hard Eight has an audience rating of 8.3 out of 10.