21
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75San Francisco ExaminerSan Francisco ExaminerThis is not a movie for the squeamish, by any means. But for those who like their thrillers dark and their heroes a bit more complicated and flawed than the average shoot-without-a-blink type so prevalent in today's movies, 8MM fills the bill.
- 42Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumThe whole movie turns into a violent, pointless, torture-or-be-tortured chase.
- 40SlateDavid EdelsteinSlateDavid EdelsteinThe moral contortions of 8MM seem especially bogus, a sadomasochistic peep show booth pretending to be a confessional.
- 40TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghThe superficially cheery “Boogie Nights” is infinitely scarier.
- 40The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinSchumacher almost invariably breathes more life into his material than he has here. It's a lot easier to tick off the forced, farfetched touches in Eight Millimeter than to count the ones that ring true.
- 30VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyA movie that keeps jumping the gate and finally unravels all over the floor.
- 0San Francisco ChronicleBob GrahamSan Francisco ChronicleBob GrahamVoyeuristically wallows in the sadistic violence it professes to deplore. What hypocrisy!
- 0SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirAlmost as degrading as any unmarked video you can buy in the back alleys of Manila, and, in its pseudo-significance and arty pretension, it's a lot less honest. I'm heartily sorry I had to poison an entire evening with it.
- 0Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranThose foolhardy enough to place themselves at the mercy of 8MM can expect the following emotions: disgust and revulsion, then anger, followed by a profound and disheartening sadness. There are some films whose existence makes the world a worse place to live, and this is one of them.
- 0The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinThat 8MM fails miserably as a psychological thriller is forgivable. The fact that it is nearly as creepy, sleazy, and manipulative as the pornographic films it so cluelessly and hypocritically condemns is not.