8mm (1999), which hits Blu-ray in time for its 20th anniversary, is probably most well known as being penned by Andrew Kevin Walker, who at the time of its release was at his peak of fame as Se7en just hit theaters. The script, written while he was a video clerk, was picked up and rushed into production by Sony, with Joel “Bat Nipples” Schumacher at the helm, who was originally going to tackle the third John Grisham book, Runaway Jury. Schumacher pitched two versions of the film to Sony, one cheaper, darker ,and grittier, starring newcomer Russell Crowe fresh off Romper Stomper, or a big budget version starring Nicolas Cage who at the time just finished the trifecta of Face/Off, The Rock, and Con Air. Unbelievably enough, the studio opted for Cage and a star-studded cast, and watching it now it’s honestly a little hard to believe that Amy Pascal greenlit what is arguably one of the darkest films made by a major Hollywood studio, let alone a what a “darker” version could have been.
The film stars Nicolas Cage as the ambitious private detective Tom Welles. Known for his discretion, he’s hired by a wealthy widow to verify the authenticity of an 8mm film of a young woman being murdered she found in the safe of her recently deceased husband. Snuff films or a recording of someone being killed explicitly for the purpose of enjoyment and profit are thankfully still the thing of urban legend. 8mm echoes back to Paul Schrader’s masterful and equally distressing Hardcore as it shows Cage’s descent into the seedy porn world of LA, which is not too dissimilar to Dante’s descent into hell. As you would probably expect, the suburban father is ultimately consumed by his search as he goes from simply looking for answers to seeking vengeance for the celluloid victim. Along the way, the film’s cast is a who’s who rogues gallery featuring such actors as a young Joaquin Phoenix as Max California, a porn shop clerk who acts as Tom’s guide; a pre-Sopranos James Gandolfini; and a fresh faced Norman Reedus.
Walker was pretty public at the time about some of his issues with the tonal changes Schumacher made to his script to try and make a film ABOUT A SNUFF MOVIE a little easier on multiplex audiences. The biggest of which being how the audience is “let off the hook” at the end of the film thanks to a letter from the young girl’s mother and also how the film attempts to explain the motives of those behind the murder. Considering the film was shot with a budget of 40 million, it makes sense that considering how dark the film does go, there has to be a way out for those that decide to endure this journey. Given how we view Nicolas Cage today, it’s also kind of surprising to see him spending much of the film genuinely internalizing and giving a performance that does eventually devolve into pure Cage madness. But until that point, it’s a glimpse into the fact that this guy actually won an Oscar as he gives a gut wrenching take on a father who begins to see his own daughter in the face of the dead girl he is tracking on screen.
I was always a fan of 8mm and caught it twice theatrically. While it faltered in theaters, the film did surprisingly well on DVD. So much so that a pretty terrible direct to video sequel was churned out six year later, which would have made a great special feature. I have to admit it was kind of surreal to be able to go to my very rural Regal and catch something as challenging as this rather than their regular popcorn fare. Watching it now, it still holds its weight and works as a snapshot of a simpler time, when extreme pornography was synonymous with dingy back city alleys and the darker corners of society. Like Max California says, ‘You dance with the devil, the devil don’t change, the devil changes you.’ This could be said for an entire generation today that has grown up with unfettered access to anything their morose little curiosities could conjure, and the means to access it instantly.
The film here is presented for the first time in HD, and the transfer is a bit dark and feels like this was a one and done scan, given I didn’t see that a new transfer was struck for this release. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad transfer, and even lends to the overall feel of the film, but given how dark the film is, a little brightness and added clarity would’ve helped. Extras here are culled mostly from the original DVD special edition, with the only new extra produced for this disc an interview with Joel Schumacher, who sheds some light on the production and is a bit more candid than I was expecting thanks to it being 20 years later. The other extras are equally illuminating; there’s a commentary with Producer/Director Joel Schumacher, a vintage behind the scenes featurette, and the original theatrical trailer.
8mm is not for everyone. Its grim and unforgiving, all while featuring Nicolas Cage in rare form. It’s a film that’s definitely a product of its time, with major studios willing to take some big risks that would simply never happen today. Films like these that traffic in this heavy subject matter and transgressive themes are now only found in indie theaters and on VOD, not the multiplex. I think the film easily still holds its own and has that same resonance two decades later, and much like Se7en, you are left emotionally stunned when the credits start to roll. Even though I may get a bit nit-picky about the package overall, I am still surprisingly happy with it. Thankfully the original DVD came at a time when the DVD market still saw special features as a selling point for their releases and was pretty well stocked with extras.