Nicholas Cage is known more for his action chops, as seen in films like “Con Air” or “The Rock,” but is known to take on a variety of roles, often with mixed results. If critics could say “National Treasure” was a safe movie for Cage to take on, there can be no doubt that the 1999 film “8MM” by Director Joel Schumacher, was a decidedly unsafe film to take on, exploring the subject of pornography, murder, and a world of hedonism that lies on the underbelly of America’s most depraved locales. And while Cage plays an unwitting narrator to these depravities, the film is a far cry from his usual resume, causing the audience, as well as its reluctant protagonist, to question the nature of evil that may lie hidden right before our noses.
Tom Welles (Nicholas Cage) is a man who makes his money on the secrets of others. A private investigator educated at a private university, Welles went into the business because he felt it was “the future.” Most of his work entails uncovering dirty secrets and affairs, but he is initially intrigued when a wealthy widow (Myra Carter) enlists his help, sensing the dollar signs that might help he and his wife (Catherine Keener) make ends meet and put their daughter through college. However, the job is not his usual fare, and involves determining if a violent pornographic movie found in her late husband’s safe – portraying the realistic killing of a young girl – is merely entertainment, or real.
The film deals with the notion of ‘snuff films’ – violent, pornographic movies depicting the murder of participants onscreen – as legend, with Welles himself scoffing at the idea. “Snuff films are kind of urban myth. There’s no such thing,” he says. But as Welles quickly sees, delving into the world of underground porn, even when not able to find an actual snuff film, is a hedonistic endeavor that begins to change him. He meets a clerk at a XXX shop named Max (played expertly by Joaquin Phoenix), who brings to light the decadence of entering this world. After visiting an S&M club, Max asks Welles, “Did you get turned on tonight by what you saw?” Welles’ reaction isn’t excitement, but nor is it dismissive. “But you didn’t exactly get turned off either…see, the Devil’s changing you already.”
“8MM” is a bizarre film, one told in equal measure by its acting and by its filming style. Its shots are dark, its score filled with lonely, ambient music, and its settings the dim interiors of porn shops, bars, and clubs, occasionally surfacing to the streets of L.A. or NYC, its reluctant audience dragged into its sinister world. The film feels dirty, not exciting, using its locales to highlight the dank world Welles has entered. In L.A. we never see the city and rarely see the streets during the day; NYC shows only a fleeting, distant shot of a lone skyscraper before thrusting us headfirst back into the world of corruption and murder.
Complimenting the filming style of “8MM,” the film is carried expertly by its acting. As Welles, Cage does a thorough job showing at first a kind of docile, if snoopy, family man brought to the edge of decency and sanity by what he sees. There’s something about his performance that differs from his previous work; perhaps it is the many faces he put on, for his wife, for his clients, for himself, or perhaps it was the rapport he had with the subject material. The effort comes off well, delivering a shocking narration of a world he desperately wants to reject.
Other players add drama to the film, such as James Gandolfini and Peter Stormare, underground porn operators who possibly hold the keys to the answers Welles is seeking, as well as Catherine Keener, who plays the part of his loving but mistrusting wife, departing from more playful performances seen in comedies such as “The 40 Year Old Virgin” or “Step Brothers.” Of the cast however, I was most impressed with Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Max. There is no trace of other roles, and he truly owns his character, presenting a willful assistant to Welles while also serving as a warning to him. The two develop an unlikely rapport, and it was nothing short of impressive to see Phoenix disappear so totally into the role. I completely forgot I was watching a man act.
“8MM” is a departure from the types of films we are used to seeing. It is a 
drama, it is a thriller, and it is a murder mystery. But it’s also a commentary on our society, on vices such as porn and strip clubs, and on mankind’s jaded sensibilities. The film also asks tough questions, such as the nature of evil, why it exists, and what this knowledge can do to ordinary men once it’s uncovered. “8MM” starts as a quest for the truth; by searching for it, it becomes about more. The men in the snuff film are not just actors, but willing participants. And the girl, we discover, is not a prop but a young girl named Mary Ann, a girl who becomes an anthem for Welles as he asks a question that may have no answer: ‘why?’
This is a good film. It is also a hard film. You won’t watch this movie, flip it off, and go right to bed. The movie stays with you. And that might be the saving grace of its message. Tragedies aren’t supposed to be taken lightly, and neither are movies that highlight them. It says something powerful about their creators that certain films hang a little longer in our minds when we close our eyes. “8MM” is one of these films.
