Search - 8MM on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children Movie Release: 1999 DVD Release: 09/14/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 3 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 32 Genres: Thriller, Crime Thriller See Also: 8MM, Eight Millimeter [Widescreen] [Includes Digital Copy]

Tom Welles (Nicolas Cage) is a surveillance expert on the rise. He's living the American dream with a wife, Amy (Catherine Keener), infant daughter, and a house in the suburbs of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After the completion of an assignment for a U.S. Senator, Welles is summoned to the house of a recently deceased captain of industry. His widow, in settling his estate, has discovered an 8MM film in her late husband's private safe. The silent short depicts the apparent murder of a young woman by a large, masked figure, what is known as a "snuff" film. Greatly disturbed by the film's contents, the widow hires Welles to find the identity of the woman and determine if she is still alive. Welles finds the girl's identity and follows her trail from the time she ran away from home to Hollywood. Once there, Welles meets adult bookstore clerk Max California (Joaquin Phoenix) to act as Virgil to Welles' Dante. As the two begin their descent into the world of underground pornography, the detective grows more and more distant from his family, as if he cannot shake the taint of the world in which he now walks. Tom and Max eventually meet pornographers Dino Velvet (Peter Stormare) and Eddie Poole (James Gandolfini). By this time the detective finds he can no longer walk out of the inferno. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide

Nicolas Cage - Tom Welles
Joaquin Phoenix - Max California
James Gandolfini - Eddie Poole
Peter Stormare - Dino Velvet
Anthony Heald - Longdale
Catherine Keener - Amy Welles

Though disliked by most critics, Joel Schumacher's dark thriller was at the very least provocative, and 8MM may yet build up a cult following thanks to its unflinching portrayal of the seedy world of illegal pornography. Columbia TriStar's DVD edition is, like the film, flawed but not without value. An anamorphic widescreen transfer of the print is very sharp -- and an interesting contrast to the ragged, amateurish movies depicted in 8MM's story. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is also excellent, although it can make only a marginal difference to a film with deliberately mumbled dialogue and restrained use of music.
There are a number of reasonable additional features on the disc. These include the original theatrical trailer and comprehensive filmographies for Schumacher, Nicolas Cage, and the other main protagonists. The five-minute featurette is disappointing, being little more than an inflated trailer punctuated with sound bites from the main players. The best addition is Schumacher's feature commentary. Although he has little of interest to say about the action onscreen, he is very willing to respond to the criticism that has been directed at 8MM, and also to address the many complex and uncomfortable issues the film raises. This is not an exceptional DVD in any way, but those who did find merit in 8MM should be fairly satisfied with the work put into this disc. ~ Patrick Lee, All Movie Guide