8MM

The crime story 8MM is extremely unpleasant to watch because of its theme, snuff movies, and because of the way the theme has been dealt with.

Private detective Tom Welles is hired to find out whether a girl was really murdered in a snuff film or not. A wealthy widow has just found the film in her dead husband's safe and the only way to get peace of mind is to find out the truth.

This case is unlike any case that Tom Welles has ever had before and after a while he becomes emotionally involved in it.

The development of Nicolas Cage's character is a mystery to me and the overly dramatic ending jars with the film's initial realism. What really disgusts me is the slick style, which gives an impression of the filmmaker's fascination rather than repugnance towards the sordid underworld which Tom Welles is forced to explore.