Hard Eight (1996) on Netflix
Sydney, a veteran gambler, finds John broke outside a desert diner, buys him coffee and teaches him to work the casinos. In Reno, John falls for Clementine, a cocktail waitress.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb7.1/1060,517 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes81%
Trailer
Plot summary
Sydney, a well-dressed gambler in his sixties, comes upon John Finnegan, homeless, outside a diner in Sparks, Nevada. He offers John a cigarette and buys him coffee; John explains that he lost his money in Las Vegas and that his mother's funeral will cost him six thousand dollars. Sydney takes him to Vegas and shows him how to gamble with one hundred fifty dollars, enough to earn a free room and other casino perks. Two years on, John is in Reno as Sydney's protégé and closest friend, and Sydney looks after him in a fatherly way. John has a new friend, Jimmy, who works in security, and is drawn to Clementine, a cocktail waitress. When Sydney meets Clementine and learns that she also works as a prostitute, he sets out to build a connection between her and John.
Cast
- Nathanael Cooperas Restroom Attendant
- Wynn Whiteas Waitress
- Kathleen Campbellas Keno Girl
- Michael J. Roweas Pit Boss
- Peter D'Allesandroas Bartender
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Hard Eight (1996)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Nicolas Cage was offered a role in Hard Eight but turned it down, he told The New York Times in 2026; he did not say which part he had been offered.
- Paul Thomas Anderson cast Philip Seymour Hoffman in a supporting role after seeing him in Scent of a Woman, and according to Philip Baker Hall, Hoffman improvised most of the dialogue in his only scene.
