8MM is a 1999 American thriller directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Nicolas Cage.
Plot[]
Private investigator Tom Welles is contacted by Daniel Longdale, attorney for wealthy widow Mrs. Christian. While clearing out her late husband's safe, she and Longdale found an 8mm movie which appears to depict a real murder of a girl, but Mrs. Christian wants to know for certain. Welles is instructed by Longdale and Mrs. Christian not to reproduce the film in any way, and to keep the investigation secret.
After looking through missing persons files, Welles discovers the girl is Mary Ann Mathews and visits her mother, Janet, in North Carolina. She allows Welles to search her house, and he finds Mary Ann's diary, in which she says she went to Hollywood to become a film star. Mrs. Mathews wants to know what happened to her daughter.
In Hollywood, with the help of adult video store employee Max California, Welles delves into the world of underground fetish pornography. He attempts to find out if snuff films are real, or if there is anyone who was connected to this film. Welles finds no evidence that a snuff film industry exists. Contact with talent scout Eddie Poole leads Welles and Max to Dino Velvet, a director of violent pornography. Velvet's films often feature "Machine", a masked man who brutalizes and tortures women, and resembles the man who appeared in Christian's snuff film. To gain more evidence, Welles pretends to be a client interested in commissioning a hardcore BDSM film to be directed by Velvet and starring Machine. Velvet agrees and arranges a meeting in New York City.
The meeting turns out to be an ambush. Longdale and Poole appear and hold Welles at gunpoint. The film turns out to be real; Mr. Christian contacted Longdale to procure a snuff film, and being unable to find one, Longdale commissioned Velvet and Poole to make one. Velvet and Machine produce a bound and beaten Max, whom they abducted to force Welles to bring them the only surviving copy of the film. As Longdale and Welles go to Welles' car to retrieve the film, Longdale admits he never thought Welles would get as far as he did, and just wanted to placate Mrs. Christian with the investigation. Once Welles delivers the film, Longdale and Velvet burn it and kill Max. As they are about to kill Welles, he says Mr. Christian paid $1 million for the film; Velvet, Poole, and Machine received $50,000 and Longdale kept the major portion. In an ensuing fight, Velvet and Longdale are killed; Welles wounds Machine and escapes.
Welles calls Mrs. Christian to tell her his discoveries and convinces her of going to the police. Arriving at her estate, Welles is told that Mrs. Christian committed suicide after hearing the news. She left envelopes for the Mathews family and Welles: Welles' contains the rest of his payment and a note reading, "Try to forget us". Welles warns his wife of the impending danger and to seek shelter in a location known only to them, and hands her his half of the money.
Welles decides to seek justice for Mary Ann by killing the remaining people involved. Welles returns to Hollywood and tracks down Poole. He takes him to the shooting location and tries to kill him, but he is hesitant. He calls Mrs. Mathews to tell her about her daughter and asks for her permission to punish those responsible. Mrs. Mathews breaks down once presented with the truth, but affirms that she loved her daughter. With that, Welles beats Poole to death with his pistol, burning his body and the pornography from his car. Welles then attacks Machine at his home. Welles unmasks him, revealing a bespectacled man named George. They struggle, and Welles kills him.
After returning to his family, Welles breaks down in front of his wife, trying to process all of the evil that he had seen over the course of the investigation. Months later, Welles receives a letter from Mrs. Mathews, thanking him and relating her gratitude for the fact that, in spite of everything, she and Welles were the only people who really cared about Mary Ann.
Cast[]
- Nicolas Cage as Tom Welles
- Joaquin Phoenix as Max California
- James Gandolfini as Eddie Poole
- Peter Stormare as Dino Velvet
- Anthony Heald as Daniel Longdale
- Myra Carter as Mrs. Christian
- Catherine Keener as Amy Welles
- Norman Reedus as Warren Anderson
- Amy Morton as Janet Mathews
- Jack Betts as Butler
- Torsten Voges as Stick
- Luis Saguar as Manny
- Chris Bauer as George Anthony Higgins / Machine
- Suzy Nakamura as Computer Wizard