Eight Men Out is John Sayles’ rather straightforward telling of the 1919 “Black Sox” Scandal. I suspect Sayles is a baseball fan, and he gives the story the respect it would never get in the studio system. Yet while the director shows here (and elsewhere) that he is a talented storyteller, he also confirms that he is a hopelessly flat actor. Perhaps he cast himself just to show, but way of comparison, how much talent is required in order for his frequent collaborator, David Strathairn, to pull off a nuanced and multi-layered performance. Strathairn is one member of an impressive and well-cast ensemble. 7/10
Eight Men Out (1988)
May 7th, 2007 · 3 Comments
Tags: Biographical · Capsule · Director · Drama · Ensemble · Sport
Here are this morning’s Oscar-nominated films, alphabetically. The nominees for foreign language film and documentary feature are compiled at the end of the list. (Short format nominees are listed in a 
3 responses so far ↓
1 Diana // May 22, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I love this movie. It’s one of those weird things: I don’t like to watch baseball, but I like to watch movies about baseball, such as 8 Men Out and Bull Durham. One of my weird quirks, I guess.
I think the historical aspect is a main reason I dig this film. Also John Cusack just oozes earnestness.
2 David // May 22, 2007 at 5:24 pm
So does that make you a fan of A League of Their Own, Field of Dreams, Major League, 61, Bad News Bears…? (There are a lot of baseball movies.)
This film is my only history lesson on the 1919 Sox scandal, and it suggests that baseball players at the time, or at least Comiskey’s, didn’t earn a “living wage.” Look how far we’ve come in 90 years: instead of getting into trouble for having too little money, players now get into trouble for having too much.
3 Diana // May 23, 2007 at 11:06 am
Yes to A League of Their Own and Field of Dreams, not so much Major League, and never seen 61 or Bad News Bears.
I think I dig the retro history part of the films I do like, mostly. What can I say, my dad’s always been a baseball fan, so I grew up with him talking about Mickey Mantle and stuff.
As far as ballplayer wages go, yeah, it’s pretty crazy, isn’t it?
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