Philip Baker Hall gives an Oscar-worthy performance in a film too obscure, unfortunately, to earn him that sort of attention, Hard Eight , a Columbia TriStar Home Video Deluxe Widescreen Presentation release (81036, $35). Hall portrays a retired gangster who befriends a young drifter, played by John C. Reilly, and shows him the ropes in Reno. Gwyneth Paltrow co-stars and Samuel L. Jackson has a small but key role. Hall's performance is stunning. His characterization is so vivid and realistic that he pulls the viewer into the drama and never lets go. The plot has some clever, carefully rationed twists, but develops slowly and it would be easy to lose interest in what was going on if Hall's presence were not so commanding. It isn't just that he is convincing in his role, he is transcendent, so that you become as drawn to him as Reilly's character is.

Summary by Doug Pratt