8MM

Private investigator Tom Welles is hired by the widow of a Miami industrialist to investigate the authenticity of an 8 mm film found in her late husband's safe, which shows the rape and murder of a girl. Is it one of the infamous snuff movies or just a sleazy porno for perverts? The investigation leads the investigator to "dance with the Devil," immersing him in an incursion into the horrible microcosm of audiovisual perversion, digging into the most sordid zones of the human soul. Directed by Joel Schumacher ("Linea Mortale," "Ragazzi Perduti"), the film deals with a difficult and, in some ways, taboo subject: the degenerate versions of porn cinema and the "myth" of snuff movies. It does so in detail, creating a good mix of thriller, mystery, and action, and benefiting from excellent actors like Nicholas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, and Peter Stormare. Not lacking in quite strong sequences (especially those of the videos viewed by investigator Welles/Cage) and supported by a good pace and a solid screenplay, "8 mm" is certainly a successful thriller and, in some ways, original and courageous. Recommended.