Joel Schumacher directed "8MM" when it was released in 1999. The film follows a private investigator—played by Nicolas Cage—who is hired by an older, wealthy woman whose husband recently died. He’s tasked with determining whether the young woman featured in a snuff film discovered within her husband's safe actually passed away; Jenny Powell portrays that girl. Amy Morton appears as the girl's mother, and Joaquin Phoenix takes on the role of a struggling rock musician working in Los Angeles’s adult entertainment industry. Catherine Keener is also present as the investigator’s wife. The movie borrows from the plot of “Hardcore” (1979) while adopting the aesthetic of late 90's crime movies, like "Kiss the Girls" (1997). The initial portion involves the private eye tracking down those responsible for creating the snuff film. While this work is slow-going—something I wouldn’t want to undertake—that section feels realistic and engaging. However, the latter half delves into subject matter that's hard to handle seriously, depicting Los Angeles & New York’s obsessive world of pornography. The primary antagonists come across as somewhat exaggerated rather than genuinely menacing; it’s a delicate balance. Despite this, I appreciate the film's underlying theme. My wife and I once knew a wealthy man who died some years ago. He frequently failed to compensate those he conducted business with, not to mention his employees struggling to make ends meet. When questioned about owning two Cadillacs and regularly traveling the world while treating people so poorly, he responded dismissively, “Because I caaAAAN.” The characters in "8MM" share a similar sense of entitlement. The movie has a running time of 2 hours and 3 minutes and was filmed in Miami, Pennsylvania (Wormleysburg/Harrisburg), New York (Hastings-on-Hudson, Elmsford, Yonkers, Queens & Long Island) and Southern California (Los Angeles & Long Beach). Andrew Kevin Walker wrote the screenplay. Additional cast members include Anthony Heald as the wealthy woman’s lawyer, along with James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, and Chris Bauer in roles as individuals involved in pornography. GRADE: B

Source on TMDB