Hard Eight (1996)

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow. [R]

Seasoned gambler Hall “picks up” young down-and-outer Reilly at a diner outside of Reno and teaches him the tools of the trade, but why is he doing this and what made him choose this guy? Anderson’s first feature cops to its influences—the neo-noir pastiche certainly has the aura of early Tarantino (which copped to its own influences)—but there’s no hesitation or showiness on his part; what it lacks in pure originality, the endeavor more than makes up for in confidence, economical characterizations, and compelling storytelling. Never tops its opening salvo where Hall shows the kid how to “trick” a casino into giving up a hotel room, but as different shades emerge in the mentor’s personality and motivations, he only becomes more engrossing. PTA-regular Philip Seymour Hoffman makes an appearance that’s brief but memorable (and not just because of his greasy mullet); Melora Walters, who’d later co-star in Anderson’s Magnolia, also has a small part.

83/100