Hard Eight (1996)
Paul Thomas Anderson gets a lot of love for most, if not all of his movies, and for good reason. Films like The Master, Boogie Nights, and There Will Be Blood are technical and artistic masterpieces, but one of PTA’s movies that doesn’t get talked about enough is his 1996 directorial debut, Hard Eight. Centered around an old gambler (Philip Baker Hall) as he takes a young man (John C. Reilly) under his wing and shows him the ropes, the plot quickly unfolds with revelations of betrayal, murder, and lots and lots of criminal elements as the freshman filmmaker explores the darkness of Nevada’s biggest industry.
Stream it on CBS All Access here.
