Eight Men Out (1988)

Simply A Masterpiece

From my favorite movies..

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The story of the infamous 1919 World Series scandal in which the Chicago White Sox deliberately lost the series after taking bribes. Superb sports drama, and one of the best sports movies ever made. Shows well how the events unfolded, what lead to the throwing of the World Series and the sad aftermath. Well told by director John Sayles - a highly engaging drama that never gets bogged down. Its focus may well be on baseball but its really a character-based drama.Solid performances all round.

This was a great movie. The story of the 1919 Black Sox Scandal as portrayed by John Sayles was truthful to the real events of that World Series. The cast gave such wonderful performances as players and owners that you can understand how this could happen. You feel bad for the players. When asked about their bonus and they only are given the champagne, you see the hurt in their faces, and it is painful to see. John Cusack and D.B. Sweeney were great as Buck Weaver and Joe Jackson. Their performances showed a great love for the game. The film also contains scenes showing how different groups of the conspiring gamblers were double-crossing one another as well as the players they were conspiring with. An interesting side element of which I had been previously unaware. The cast is absolutely top-drawer, including Charlie Sheen, D.B. Sweeney (both of whom were already good high school and college baseball players, respectively, in real life), John Cusack, Michael Lerner, David Strathairn, Christopher Lloyd, Clifton James, Michael Rooker, John Mahoney, Studs Terkel, and several other fine actors.The real moral compass of "Eight Men Out" is Buck Weaver, played by John Cusack, in what may have been the performance of his career. Sayles' Weaver is portrayed as the victim of the ultimate betrayal for not participating in the scheme. His teammates don't back him up. The courts do not defend him. The press lumps him together with the guilty. His only crime was not being a snitch. And for that, Weaver has basically been relegated to baseball history's limbo, in spite of an above-par career. Sayles does an admirable job in evoking a justified sympathy for Buck Weaver, and Cusack captures it beautifully.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

I watched this film again on cable recently and it is still as superb as when I saw it in the theaters years ago. Its smart and puts the blame squarely on the gamblers and owners, where it belongs. The acting of John Cusack, David Stathairn, Charlie Sheen and Sayles himself is excellent. Wonderful script. Crisp direction. Compelling story. If you were intrigued by the Black Sox scandal referred to fleetingly in Boardwalk Empire, than watch this film. One of the best films made about sports and the temptation of money corrupting sports. Not some soapy film like Pride of the Yankees or A League of Their Own, which I enjoy, but are far from reality. A must see. It is so sad that the man who wrote and directed this film, the Great John Sayles cannot get financing to make anymore film. Truly a Hollywood injustice.

John Sayles is just an unbelievable director. Every film brings something new to the table and Eight Men Out, is of course, no different. This is a solid film about the famous White Sox Scandal during the 1919 World Series. The acting is excellent and everywhere you look you will be sure to notice some famous actor whether it is Charlie Sheen, David Straithairn, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Michael Lerner and the especially great John Cusack (plus the many others I did not mention). But aside from the great casting, this film ventures much further past the point if the series was just a fix or not. We see the internal struggles of all the players, their intentions, their goals, their desires, and what each one wishes to pursue and how they go about it. The best example is David Straithairn (playing one of his most memorable roles, among many) when he says, "We were crooked, crooked players" as tears come to his eyes. And you can see that he was put between a rock and a hard place. He accepted the fix because he wasn't being paid enough, and the boss didn't provide any raises. So how else is he suppose to raise his rather young family? And then there is the great John Cusack playing Bucky Weaver. He plays because he loves the game and money isn't so much a greater desire in his life. He is the "All-American Baseball Player" all the kids in Chicago look up to. When the scandal comes around he wants nothing to do with it and instead just play to win. All other things aside, the most amazing part about Eight Men Out is the fact that it is an intense character study yet each character gets the same amount of screen time. So it is impossible for me to go over all the characters in a simple review. All-in-all, John Sayles' has proved his writing and directing capabilities, although being very subtle about it, he is one of the best in the business. Those of you who haven't ventured into his work must. He is simply one of the greatest directors and one of the most masterful writers. A solid 10/10