User:LancedSoul/sandbox/8mm

8mm is a 1999 neo-noir thriller film directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. A German-American production, the film stars Nicolas Cage as a private investigator who delves into the world of snuff films. Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, and Anthony Heald appear in supporting roles.

Plot
Private detective Tom Welles (Nicolas Cage) lives a normal life with his wife (Catherine Keener) and young daughter, until he receives a startling new case. A widow named Mrs. Christian (Myra Carter) has found what appears to be a snuff film among her late husband's belongings, and she wants Welles to determine if the movie is real or fake. Welles heads to California, where a video store employee (Joaquin Phoenix) helps him infiltrate the dangerous and depraved world of illegal porn movies.

Reception
8mm received negative reviews from critics. It has a rating of 22% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 85 reviews with an average rating of 4.30/10. The consensus states that "Its sadistic violence is unappealing and is lacking in suspense and mystery.". The film also has a score of 19 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 20 reviews indicating "overwhelming dislike." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "C-" on scale of A+ to F.

Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, audiences have been well-received and later became cult film due to its dark atmosphere, twisted story, and memorable performances. The following only increased after Joel Schumacher's passing.

Roger Ebert was one of the film's admirers and gave the film three stars out of four, stating on his website "I know some audience members will be appalled by this film, as many were by Seven. It is a very hard R that would doubtless have been NC-17 if it had come from an indie instead of a big studio with clout. But it is a real film. Not a slick exploitation exercise with all the trappings of depravity but none of the consequences. Not a film where moral issues are forgotten in the excitement of an action climax. Yes, the hero is an ordinary man who finds himself able to handle violent situations, but that's not the movie's point. The last two words of the screenplay are "save me" and by the time they're said, we know what they mean."

Videos
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