Paul Thomas Anderson's first feature and the only one that is regularly ignored. Hard Eight is definitely his least ambitious film but should never be overlooked. The acting is phenomenal and the story is very brisk yet fulfilling. There's a refreshing feeling that you can get by watching a movie starring all character actors like Hard Eight and Anderson takes full advantage of that. The main character, John, is just a down on his luck everyman character who is helped out by an older man named Sydney but things aren't exactly as they seem. The greatest thing about Hard Eight is watching the story unfold as John and Sydney draw closer to each other. When they develop a father/son like bond Anderson pulls the rug out from under the viewer and really makes the ending stick in your mind long after the credits have rolled.