It's very obvious that "8mm" was written by the guy who wrote "Seven." It's got very dark subject matter, it's a detective story that spends a lotta time on the actual investigation, and it's got a good guy coming face-to-face with pure evil in the end... and he's gotta make a decision. However, despite the many similarities, both scripts are very different. And "Seven" is definitely better. Don't get me wrong, I liked "8mm" a lot, but "Seven" is a movie that, well... it got to me.
I walked out of "Seven" feeling completely numb. I remember the whole thing very vividly. I walked out of the movie theater with my (now ex) girlfriend in a state of melancholy, totally dazed by it. She and I were usually two chatterboxes after a movie, but after "Seven," we both walked out in silence. Andrew Kevin Walker is one of the best screenwriters working in Hollywood right now. He writes intelligent, gritty detective stories that know exactly which nerve to strike. I'm very curious to see what "Sleepy Hollow" is gonna be like (the movie he wrote that's directed by my favorite director, the man I mentioned earlier, Tim "God" Burton).
As for Schumacher, he didn't screw it up... but that's just it. He didn't screw it up. He made a gritty movie that was dimly lit. I woulda loved to see this movie directed by Fincher, or even Bill Duke (he made one of the most underrated "dark, gritty" films ever with "Deep Cover"). So yes, Joel Schumacher did fine, but he's got a long way to go before I forgive him for the "Batman" fiasco.
The acting, as you might expect, is top-notch. Nicolas Cage is incredible as the private detective hired to find out if a snuff film is real or fake (you KNOW what the answer is, right?). I don't know the name of the girl on the actual 8mm footage (I think her name is Jenny Powell, but I can't be sure), but she had the toughest, and most under-appreciated job of all. Without any sound, she had to express a lot to the viewer. I've read a lot of reviews of this movie, and no one mentions her. That's a shame, because she's an essential part of the movie. Joaquin Phoenix (who has been everywhere lately) was great as the porno retail clerk who helps Nicolas Cage out. James Gandolfini (who's in that HBO TV show that I've been hearing a lotta good things about, "The Sopranos") is excellent, and so is Catherine Keener (who was so good as the artsy chick in black in last year's "Your Friends and Neighbors") as Cage's wife. Amy Morton plays the role of the mother of the girl in the 8mm film. She probably stands out the most to me. Out of all the characters in the movie, her's is the one that I'll remember the most. The only weak link as far as the acting goes is Peter Stormare (he was Steve Buscemi's unusually quiet partner in crime in "Fargo"). He was way over the top.
"8mm" is very
disturbing, and some of the images may sicken you. If you're a parent, I
truly believe that you're gonna walk out of "8mm" more disturbed than a
viewer who has no children. I think that this movie will really hit home
for some, and it'll DEFINITELY have everyone thinking. Especially about
personal morals... or lack thereof.