Eight Men Out

Starring: John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, D.B. Sweeney, Christopher Lloyd, Clifton James, David Strathairn, John Mahoney
Directed by: John Sayles
Rating: PG
Genre: Sports, Drama
Box Office: $5,680,515
1988

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Tells the story of the 1919 Chicago White Sox and them throwing the World Series to make a buck. The players thought to be involved included Shoeless Joe Jackson (D.B. Sweeney), Buck Weaver (John Cusack), Eddie Cicotte (David Strathairn), and others.

Review:

Tim: The 1919 World Series was one of the darkest moments in all of baseball... in all of American sports history, and it is told brilliantly in this film.

Eight Men Out has an incredible cast going for it. John Cusack is superb. I love this guy and would watch him in anything. He is simply terrific in this film. D.B. Sweeney is tremendous as Shoeless Joe Jackson. Sweeney gives the best (and most accurate) performance of the whole cast. Charlie Sheen is decent in a smaller role. The rest of the supporting cast all do exactly what they need to do.

This is also an outstanding baseball movie. However, it is one that shows the dark, ugly side of sports, including corruption, greed, and the complete lack of ethics shown by the players. Most baseball films are uplifting tales of heroics on the diamond. Eight Men Out is a realistic, somewhat depressing look at the darkest day in baseball history.

The little boy in the film sums this movie and more importantly, this entire event up when he cries, "Say it ain't so, Joe. Say it ain't so." This event robbed a great deal of children of their idols. If you really want to understand this event, Eight Men Out is an entertaining way to do so.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Field of Dreams, The Rookie, Hoop Dreams, The Natural