Philip Baker Hall as Sydney in Hard Eight
When Boogie Nights came out in 1997, Paul Thomas Anderson put himself on the map as a director to watch closely. With a sprawling, thrilling, darkly comedic ensemble piece that feels deeply in conversation with massive movies such as Nashville or Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas, Anderson felt like a shot out of a canon. But the year before, he'd already proved he was worth his salt on his debut feature.
'Hard Eight' Gave Philip Baker Hall One of His Best Performances You might recognize Hall from a number of his memorable character roles. Hall had an incredible career with appearances in The Truman Show, Zodiac, The Insider, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Hall also had an all-time great guest spot on Seinfeld, as Bookman, the deadly serious library cop in one of the show's earlier episodes. But Hall rarely headlined a movie, as he was often used in brief but powerful supporting roles.
Paul Thomas Anderson's Debut is a Small Movie, But 'Hard Eight' Still Made a Big Impression Compared to his next two features, which follow a series of overlapping narratives and dozens of prominent characters, Hard Eight is a fairly straightforward movie. There are only four principal cast members: Hall, Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Samuel L. Jackson.
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