young man who says he needs $6,000 to bury his mother, and the two men become friends in a relationship that is marked by JohnÆs hero worship of Sydney, and SydneyÆs hidden reason for helping John. As JohnÆs waitress/hooker girlfriend Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow) remarks to Sydney, ôHe (John) follows you and worships you like youÆre a captain.ö
John has taken up with Clementine two years after the prologue during which time Sydney has taught him how to become a professional gambler. Introduction of the movieÆs
fourth main character, the ominous Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson) complicates the plot. The movie, however, is not plot driven but rather character driven in spite of its mystery thriller genre; it is not a formula film. By this point in the movie, as film critic Roger Ebert points out, Anderson ôhas us so hooked that weÆre watching for the sheer pleasure of the dialogue and the actingö (Hard Eight. suntimes.com/ebert).
According to Ebert, ôHard Eightö is so good because it listens, sees and observes, and has original, compelling characters. The appeal of ôHard Eightö lies in AndersonÆs depiction of his characters and of the dialogue he gives to them. The characters often speak in such an elliptical way that it takes them a long time to get to the point. This element of seemingly improvisation informs AndersonÆs next three films, the ones that brought him to the attention of critics and the movie-going audience, especially admirers of independent films.
The 1997 ôBoogie Nights,ö which was nominated for three Academy Awards, may be seen as AndersonÆs break through film, and it contains several characteristics of AndersonÆs method and style, including an improvisational style, long sweeping shots that advance the plot, emphasis on characters, and the Valley setting. The long, sweeping shot that opens ôBoogie Nightsö introduces nearly all of the major characters. The Valley environment is partic...