Hard Eight

"If you stay in the game long enough, you'll see everything, win everything, and lose everything."

1997 1h 42m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

82%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 1,027🍅82%Rotten Tomatoes●78Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 59,455

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A stranger mentors a young Reno gambler who weds a hooker and befriends a vulgar casino regular.

“If you stay in the game long enough, you'll see everything, win everything, and lose everything.”

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Cast

Philip Baker Hall
Sydney
John C. Reilly
John
Gwyneth Paltrow
Clementine
Samuel L. Jackson
Jimmy
F. William Parker
Hostage
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Young Craps Player
Nathanael Cooper
Restroom Attendant
Wynn White
Waitress

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Writers: Paul Thomas Anderson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 7% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, shot by Robert Elswit. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jon Brion. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Barbara Tulliver shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Philip Baker Hall and John C. Reilly and Gwyneth Paltrow carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "If you stay in the game long enough, you'll see everything, win everything, and lose everything.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul Thomas Anderson directs. Robert Elswit behind the camera. Jon Brion scores. Barbara Tulliver cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 7% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
329 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, shot by Robert Elswit. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jon Brion. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Barbara Tulliver shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Philip Baker Hall and John C. Reilly and Gwyneth Paltrow carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "If you stay in the game long enough, you'll see everything, win everything, and lose everything.".
9IMDB entry: tt0119256 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "prostitute", "casino", "cheating", "gambling".
11Released under 14 different titles around the world.