Search - Eight Men Out on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity Movie Release: 1988 DVD Release: 05/08/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 0 mins Studio: MGM Total Copies: 2 Genres: Drama, Americana, Period Film, Sports Drama See Also: Eight Men Out [20th Anniversary Edition]

Writer/director John Sayles' dramatization of the most infamous episode in professional sports -- the fix of the 1919 World Series -- is considered by many to be among his best films and arguably the best baseball movie ever made. This adaptation of Eliot Asinof's definitive study of the scandal shows how athletes of another era were a different breed from the well-paid stars of later years. The Chicago White Sox owner, Charlie Comiskey (Clifton James), is portrayed as a skinflint with little inclination to reward his team for their spectacular season. When a gambling syndicate led by Arnold Rothstein (Michael Lerner) gets wind of the players' discontent, it offers a select group of stars -- including pitcher Eddie Cicotte (Sayles regular David Strathairn), infielder Buck Weaver (John Cusack), and outfielder "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (D. B. Sweeney) -- more money to play badly than they would have earned to try to win the Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Sayles cast the story with actors who look and perform like real jocks, and added a colorful supporting cast that includes Studs Terkel as reporter Hugh Fullerton and Sayles himself as Ring Lardner. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

John Cusack - Buck Weaver
Clifton James - Charles Comiskey
David Strathairn - Eddie Cicotte
Christopher Lloyd - Bill Burns
John Mahoney - Kid Gleason
D.B. Sweeney - "Shoeless" Joe Jackson
Michael Lerner - Arnold Rothstein

This sober drama chronicles the Chicago White Sox's 1919 season, one of the darkest in baseball. Several members of the team are approached to throw games in the World Series, allowing the Cincinnati Reds to win. Eight Sox players were suspended after the bribes were uncovered, including the infamous "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. One of the film's most poignant moments comes when a young fan accosts Jackson on the street, saying "Say it ain't so, Joe!" Jackson is played by D.B. Sweeney, but the entire cast shines, from Charlie Sheen as Hap Felsch to John Cusack as the moral standout, Buck Weaver. =Eight Men Out is presented in 16 x 9 widescreen format, with Dolby Digital Sound. Subtitles are available in French and Spanish. Mono sound is available in English, French, and Spanish. The picture quality is excellent, with more detail than the film, and the sound rendering is quite good. The only bonus material included is a digital theatrical trailer. ~ Sherril Steele-Carlin, All Movie Guide