Hard Eight (a.k.a Sydney) (UK)

Hard Eight (or Sydney, as was the intended title) is the first film from Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of Boogie Nights and Magnolia. While not as ambitious as either of these films, Hard Eight is a well-crafted tale of the relationship between aging gambler Sydney (Philip Baker Hall), and an unlucky young man named John (John C. Reilly), who Sydney takes under his wing.

John needs to raise $6,000 in order to pay for his mother`s funeral, but has managed to lose every penny in Vegas. It is at a truck stop that he meets Sydney, who offers to show John a way to make the money he needs, and together they head off back to Vegas to begin the process.

Two years on, John and Sydney find themselves in Reno, Nevada, where John meets and falls for waitress and part-time hooker Clementine (played by Gwyneth Paltrow). When their honeymoon turns into a desperate hostage situation Sydney has to step in to sort matters out.

To make things worse, John`s friend, Jimmy (played with usual brilliance by Samuel L. Jackson), threatens to reveal a dark secret from Sydney’s past that could jeopardise his relationship with John.

This European R2 disc is excellent. Presented in anamorphic 2.35:1, the video quality is great and the bright lights and colourful neon signs of Las Vegas and Reno look wonderful. Director Anderson employs some beautiful camera angles; check out the long Steadycam shot of Sydney walking through the casino at the start of chapter 10 for example.

Sound is also good, with surround tracks in a variety of languages. The film, like most of Anderson`s work, is very dialogue intensive. The centre channel is very clear and the surrounds are used to create atmosphere when needed.

This is a great disc for extras too. We are treated to three deleted scenes, three Sundance Institute Filmmaker`s scenes, two theatrical trailers, cast & crew bios and most interesting of all, two commentary tracks. The commentaries both feature Anderson who, as usual, gives a lot of insight into the creative process. The first commentary also features one of Anderson`s idols, Philip Baker Hall. The second commentary features Michelle Satter from Sundance Film, various crew, some isolated score and an alternative Aimee Mann track over the end credits.

For fans of P T Anderson this disc is an essential purchase. Even if you`ve never seen Boogie Nights or Magnolia (why not!), Hard Eight is a charming film with some fine performances and it can be purchased for around £14 from some European retailers. It may not be as polished or convoluted as Anderson`s more recent films, but you will not be disappointed.