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Beautiful, moving film.

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I watched this film again on cable recently and it is still as superb as when I saw it in the theaters years ago. Its smart and puts the blame squarely on the gamblers and owners, where it belongs. The acting of John Cusack, David Stathairn, Charlie Sheen and Sayles himself is excellent. Wonderful script. Crisp direction. Compelling story. If you were intrigued by the Black Sox scandal referred to fleetingly in Boardwalk Empire, than watch this film. One of the best films made about sports and the temptation of money corrupting sports. Not some soapy film like Pride of the Yankees or A League of Their Own, which I enjoy, but are far from reality. A must see. It is so sad that the man who wrote and directed this film, the Great John Sayles cannot get financing to make anymore film. Truly a Hollywood injustice.

The topic was quite interesting, especially to Chicagoans, namely the 1919 Black Sox scandal when it was discovered by suspicious reporters that several of the White Sox players were deliberately playing badly during several crucial games which would have brought the Sox into the World Series championship, and its aftermath.So where did this movie fail? Basically, it tried to cover too much with too many characters-the players, the managers, the reporters, the fans, anyone connected, so that the film lost focus. Nobody is developed, and it takes a scorecard to figure out who is who and what is going on. We don't learn exactly what went on or why. Comiskey is depicted as a skinflint who had little regard for his team, but I read elsewhere that he wasn't as bad as the movie depicted. Shoeless Joe Jackson was depicted as clueless, and while he was illiterate (still not that rare in that era), that didn't make him incapable of knowing what was going on. Also, what motivated the corrupt baseball players other than greed? They weren't working for starvation wages.The movie neither works as drama or as a depiction of history.

John Sayles is just an unbelievable director. Every film brings something new to the table and Eight Men Out, is of course, no different. This is a solid film about the famous White Sox Scandal during the 1919 World Series. The acting is excellent and everywhere you look you will be sure to notice some famous actor whether it is Charlie Sheen, David Straithairn, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Michael Lerner and the especially great John Cusack (plus the many others I did not mention). But aside from the great casting, this film ventures much further past the point if the series was just a fix or not. We see the internal struggles of all the players, their intentions, their goals, their desires, and what each one wishes to pursue and how they go about it. The best example is David Straithairn (playing one of his most memorable roles, among many) when he says, "We were crooked, crooked players" as tears come to his eyes. And you can see that he was put between a rock and a hard place. He accepted the fix because he wasn't being paid enough, and the boss didn't provide any raises. So how else is he suppose to raise his rather young family? And then there is the great John Cusack playing Bucky Weaver. He plays because he loves the game and money isn't so much a greater desire in his life. He is the "All-American Baseball Player" all the kids in Chicago look up to. When the scandal comes around he wants nothing to do with it and instead just play to win. All other things aside, the most amazing part about Eight Men Out is the fact that it is an intense character study yet each character gets the same amount of screen time. So it is impossible for me to go over all the characters in a simple review. All-in-all, John Sayles' has proved his writing and directing capabilities, although being very subtle about it, he is one of the best in the business. Those of you who haven't ventured into his work must. He is simply one of the greatest directors and one of the most masterful writers. A solid 10/10

The shrine, better known as the Baseball Hall of Fame remembers well that Abner Doubleday invented the game. To this day in America, in many parts, Baseball is still considered America's pastorals pastime. Back in its infancy, the early game was also the birthplace of many a sport's legend. Here in this movie entitled " Eight men Out " is the true story of the biggest scandal ever to darken the memory. The Chicago White sox's were in the eyes of many the finest baseball time every assembled. At the top of the sport, they were considered by their manager William Gleason (John Mahoney) unbeatable. This was the fertile ground upon which a half dozen con-men, hoodlums and gangsters, led by infamous gambler Arnold Rothstein, tried to 'Put the fix ' on the 1919 World Series. Vastly underpaid for their extraordinary efforts on the field, by Charles Comiskey (Clifton James) their team owner; the players included George Weaver (John Cusack), Oscar Felsch (Charlie Sheen), Eddie Cicotte (David Strathairn) and Joseph 'Shoeless' Jackson (D.B. Sweeney) decided to accept a bribe to purposely lose the world series. Although the seven players accepted the money, they came under tremendous pressure by the public, their fans and the sports writers of the day. The film is quite sincere in its efforts to seek out those most responsible for the awful mess. In the end, everybody lost something and Baseball was never the same. The actors selected created a wonderful atmosphere of baseball in the early days and just watching them made one feel they were there in 1919 to watch it all unfold before them. A great movie and easily recommended. ****