Sydney (1996)

Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer:

Paul Thomas Anderson (written by)

Release Date:

28 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

When good luck is a long shot, you have to hedge your bets.

Plot:

John has lost all his money. He sits outside a diner in the desert when Sydney happens along, buys him coffee...

Plot Keywords:

Casino | Poker Game | Marriage | Remake | Directorial Debut

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Philip Baker Hall	...	Sydney
John C. Reilly	...	John
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Clementine
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Jimmy
F. William Parker	...	Hostage
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Young Craps Player (as Phillip Seymour Hoffman)
Nathanael Cooper	...	Restroom Attendant
Wynn White	...	Waitress
Robert Ridgely	...	Keno Bar Manager
Kathleen Campbell	...	Keno Girl
Michael J. Rowe	...	Pit Boss
Peter D'Allesandro	...	Bartender
Steve Blane	...	Stickman
Xaleese	...	Cocktail Waitress
Melora Walters	...	Jimmy's Girl

Also Known As:

Hard Eight (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, some violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

102 min | USA:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2008) | UK:15 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Reno, Nevada, USA

Company:

Green Parrot

Trivia:

When funds ran out, Paul Thomas Anderson used money New Line had advanced him for Boogie Nights (1997) and donations from his cast to raise the necessary $250,000 to finish the film. The film company Rysher signed off on Anderson's director cut on the proviso that he change the title to "Hard Eight". Although Anderson agreed to this change, it didn't stop Rysher from barely releasing the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the very first scene when Sydney walks up to John at the Coffee Shop, above John is three lights. The light on the right has a design in the upper half. In the final scene, when Sydney walks in the same diner, the design is on the lower half. While its plausible that in the 2+ years that passed since they first met, the light has changed, it is likely an unintentional error.

Quotes:

Sydney: [to Jimmy] I have the money to give you right now, in this moment. I will give you all that I have. Maybe before you were gonna kill me. Maybe. I don't know. I know John, and I love him like he was my own child. But I can tell you this: I don't want to die. I killed his father...

Movie Connections:

References Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

Soundtrack:

Love Is Free

understated, calm and brilliant

Excellent movie. Excellent actors. I like the calm flow of the movie. Dialogs are strong: very realistic, not cultivated in a predictable and

understandable main stream drama form. The hostage scene is brilliant. In many movies the characters

react in a movie-like way, shaped in how the characters would

react if...too cultivated, mostly showcases for actors to show how

emotional and brilliant they can play their roles. In this movie the characters many times don't know what to say or

how to react and that's brilliant in my opinion. In real life you don't have strong and powerful one-liners at hand. But still it is a movie and put into a form, a calm and understated,

but brilliant form.