8 Million Ways to Die

I mean, in places it's actually something like the real thing, in its deafening noise and cold, flat brutality. This is relatively unusual, in a day when most movie gunplay seems to have to involve a lot of acrobatic somersaulting on trampolines and flying around on wires, while firing two guns simultaneously with each hand. In this respect the film can be compared to films like _Way of the Gun_ and _Thief_ and _Heat_. Furthermore, I have seldom seen a really bad, serious, almost deadly alcohol hangover depicted better. I mean the part where Cutter comes to in the rehab center or whatever it is supposed to be. I really felt for the poor guy. It's the kind of thing very few non-drinkers will ever be able to understand. Oz

source: 8 Million Ways to Die

Trailer—8 Million Ways to Die

8 Million Ways to Die

Sadly, this was Hal Ashby's final bow as a director. The man who gave us "The Last Detail", "Coming Home" and "Being There" seemingly threw together this agonizing-to-sit-through hodgepodge of alcoholics, drug addicts and hookers that seems to work only as mind-numbing montage of film noir cliches. What makes it even more painful is that it's both very loud and very dull, and nothing makes any sense until the film reaches a conclusion so inevitable, you wish they would've gotten to it about 75 minutes sooner.

Will be recognized as one of the lost classics of the 80's. Bridges gives a great performance and really seems to understand what an alcoholic acts like. has THE best hangover scene of any movie. Andy Garcia made his first impression as the bad guy. Some real off the wall action scenes. This movie got a lot of bad press when it was released. i never understood why as I felt that it was one of Ashby's better later movies. I think Ashby himself will come under a reappraisal in the years to come with his movies being recognized as some coif the best. Some of his stars gave their best performances under his direction, i.e. Jack Nicholson (The Last Detail), Warren Beatty (Shampoo); Jon Voight (Coming Home) and Ruth Gordon.

"8 Million Ways to Die" is a perfect example of why Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors. The overall movie might be muddled (even bad) but he always brings a laser focus to the job; more often than not, he keeps things alive and kicking. Here, he's playing an alcoholic cop who only really develops an interest in the case after he fails to keep his employer alive. And he really sells the self-loathing that comes with addiction. This is one of those mid-'80s noirs, comparable to "Against All Odds" and "To Live and Die in L.A." (although not as good as either of those). The plotting is scattered throughout, but it starts out very nicely (a beautiful aerial opening) and sees a few startling lows (a snowcone negotiation and a frenzied warehouse shouting match). Trivia has it that the production was troubled by rewrites and studio interference, and that certainly shows in the final product. Ultimately, it just reminds me of better movies. 5/10