8MM (1999)

• Rated R
• 123 mins
• HD (TV only)
• I rated 2 stars (Didn't Like It)

Initial Thoughts:
I'm usually not a fan of Nick Cage's movies, but I'm always a sucker to see them -- what if this one is actually good? Just from reading the little blurb, I figured this would be one of those scary movies that's so not scary it's funny. We'll see.

Movie:
Cage is private investigator, I think, I just saw this and I can't remember if he's a cop or not. An old rich man dies and his private safe is found to have an untitled video tape. His wife views it, and it's a snuff film -- maybe. Cage is tasked with finding out the truth in a crazy mixed-up world.

Cage leaves his ugly and overbearing wife (she's so ugly I couldn't find a picture of her) with the kid and off he goes to find out who the girl in the film is. Set in the late 90's, he has to go through stacks of filing cabinets and card boxes. He finally finds a close enough match to make the trip to see the mother. She's a lonely middle-aged women dying for attention. Cage adroitly deflects her advances.

On to LA and a very young Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix works at a grungier than usual adult book store (for all of you young people out there, this is where your dads got porn). They strike up a working relationship and tour the decrepit underbelly of the deranged LA porn scene. While this is going on, Cage wire-taps a scumbag looking James Gandolfini. Most of what they find is fake, but they do make see a lot of stuff produced by one guy in New York.

They set up a meeting with the producer in New York under the guise of producing their own film. The meeting takes place in a dockyard, and to no one's surprise, it's a trap.

The situation goes from tense to overdrive and people lose blood. Cage escapes and begins the hunt to kill everyone associated. It seems that he's grown quite fond of the dead girl he's never met.

I can't say much about the ending, but if you watch True Blood you are in for a real treat. Oh and Cage wins, obviously.

Afterthoughts:
It's not a good movie. It's tired and cliche and far too dark. Even the scenes with Cage's wife, which I can only imagine serve to lighten the movie up, are just depressing. Maybe I have it wrong; maybe it's supposed to be like watching a snuff film. Who knows? The point is, I wish I would have watched something else. I was foiled again by Nick Cage. How on Earth does this guy keep getting work?