Hard Eight

Hard Eight might well be worth your gamble. Set in Las Vegas' shifty cousin, Reno, this small, dialogue-driven film delivers captivating performances by Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, and Gwynyth Paltrow, with Samuel L. Jackson as a sleazy Reno con man. Hall plays Sydney, a professional gambler with a poker face and a heart of gold, who takes John (Reilly), a naive, down-and-out newcomer to Reno, under his wing and teaches him how to survive and succeed in casino culture. Sydney also takes a fatherly gamble on Clementine (Paltrow), a cocktail waitress cum hooker. With each hand the threesome is dealt, the story takes some genuinely surprising twists and turns that culminate in a deadly blackmail scheme. Its humanity, intelligence, depth of character, and almost surreal setting make Hard Eight a strong optional purchase. (A. Glover)