Eight Men Out (1988)
“When the cheering stopped, there were... Eight Men Out.”
Buck Weaver and Hap Felsch are young idealistic players on the Chicago White Sox, a pennant-winning team owned by Charles Comiskey - a penny-pinching, hands-on manager who underpays his players and treats them with disdain. And when gamblers and hustlers discover that Comiskey's demoralized players are ripe for a money-making scheme, one by one the team members agree to throw the World Series. But when the White Sox are defeated, a couple of sports writers smell a fix and a national scandal explodes, ripping the cover off America's favorite pastime.
The film establishes its central universe, introducing the protagonists into an escalating conflict. Directed by John Sayles, this opening movement establishes high visual and thematic stakes that set the narrative journey into motion.
The protagonists navigate escalating complications, ethical dilemmas, and formidable challenges. Starring John Cusack, Clifton James, Michael Lerner, the middle act intensifies dramatic momentum toward an inevitable turning point.
The dramatic arcs converge in a decisive climax, resolving interpersonal conflicts and delivering the auteur’s resonant thematic conclusion.
John Cusack
as Buck Weaver
Clifton James
as Charles Comiskey
Michael Lerner
as Arnold Rothstein
Christopher Lloyd
as Bill Burns
John Mahoney
as Kid Gleason
Charlie Sheen
as Hap Felsch
David Strathairn
as Eddie Cicotte
D. B. Sweeney
as 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson
Don Harvey
as Swede Risberg
Michael Rooker
as Chick Gandil
Perry Lang
as Fred McMullin
James Read
as Lefty WilliamsCinematographic negative, aspect ratios & laboratory mastering sheet
| Aspect Ratios | 2.39:1 |
|---|---|
| Camera Systems | Arri Alexa LF / Panavision Millennium DXL2 |
| Negative Format | 35mm / 65mm / Digital Master |
| Printed Film Format | 70mm / DCP Master |
| Sound Mix Formats | Dolby AtmosDTS:X5.1 Surround |
| Laboratory / VFX | Technicolor / Double Negative (DNEG) |
| Color Processing | Color (Rec.709 / DCI-P3 Mastering) |
| Official Runtime | 120 min |
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Weighted consensus from 100K+ verified global cinephile ratings
The pipe organ composition from Hans Zimmer at the edge of Gargantua is monumental. Nolan masterfully balances the vast coldness of relativistic astrophysics with the intimate, multidimensional bond of family. A transcendent achievement of cinema.
"Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Michael Caine reciting Dylan Thomas resonates throughout the entire odyssey. Pure cinematic grandeur.
