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John Cusack, Clifton James, David Strathairn, Christopher Lloyd, D.B. Sweeney ... see more see more... , John Mahoney , Michael Lerner , Charlie Sheen , Gordon Clapp , Don Harvey , Michael Rooker , Perry Lang , James Read , Jace Alexander , Richard Edson , Bill Irwin , Michael Mantell , Kevin Tighe , Studs Terkel , John Anderson , John Sayles , Wendy Makkena , Maggie Renzi , Brad Armacost , Eliot Asinof , Ken Berry , David Carpenter , John Craig , Dick Cusack , Jim Desmond , Brad Garrett , Barbara Garrick , Lee Anne Harris , Merrill Holtzman , Rich Komenich , Michael Laskin , Richard Lynch , Tom Marshall , Randle Mell , Stephen Mendillo , Danton Stone , Tay Strathairn , Nancy Travis , Jesse Vincent , Robert Walsh , B.J. Davis , Bill Raymond , Jim Stark , Clyde Bassett , Max Chiddester , Patrick Grant , Brad Griffith , David Hinman , Bill Jennings , Tim Laughter , Jim Martindale , Robert Motz , Philip Murphy , J. Dennis Newman , Eaton Randles , Dana Roi , Steve Salge , Charles Siebert II , Josh Thompson , Julie Whitney , Jack George , Garry Williams , Michael Preston , John E. Blazier , Michael Harris

Writer/director John Sayles' dramatization of the most infamous episode in professional sports -- the fix of the 1919 World Series -- is considered by many to be among his best films and arguably the ... read more read more...best baseball movie ever made. This adaptation of Eliot Asinof's definitive study of the scandal shows how athletes of another era were a different breed from the well-paid stars of later years. The Chicago White Sox owner, Charlie Comiskey (Clifton James), is portrayed as a skinflint with little inclination to reward his team for their spectacular season. When a gambling syndicate led by Arnold Rothstein (Michael Lerner) gets wind of the players' discontent, it offers a select group of stars -- including pitcher Eddie Cicotte (Sayles regular David Strathairn), infielder Buck Weaver (John Cusack), and outfielder "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (D.B. Sweeney) -- more money to play badly than they would have earned to try to win the Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Sayles cast the story with actors who look and perform like real jocks, and added a colorful supporting cast that includes Studs Terkel as reporter Hugh Fullerton and Sayles himself as Ring Lardner. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi

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76% liked it

11,739 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

37 critics

PG, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: John Sayles

Release Date: September 2, 1988

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DVD Release Date: May 8, 2001

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Stats: 546 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (546)

  • cosmo313
    May 27, 2012
    cosmo313
    This is writer/director John Sayles's historical drama about the infamous Black Sox Scandal in which eight players from the Chicago White Sox were paid to throw the 1919 WOrld Series- an event which is one of the mot notable and darkest moments in ports history.

    The retelling h... read moreere is pretty good, and qwuite insightful, yet not without its flaws. The story could have ued some more context and clearer motivations, and it helps to have at least a little prior knowledge of the story before seeing this, but even then, this is still an enjoyable look at just how different the sports world was way back when, as compared to the days depicted here where the players were true working class heroes not making millions of dollars, and were seen as truly being guys deserving of worship, making their screw ups all the more stinging and upsetting.

    I think the film also could have further detailed the labor history aspect of things, and the exact cultural impact the scandal had, but it does a decent enough job as it stands. The
  • kenstachnik
    June 27, 2011
    kenstachnik
    Worth seeing even if you don't like baseball. Great performances all round. How can you not love Michael Rooker?
  • ajv2688
    February 21, 2011
    ajv2688
    This baseball drama is interesting, mostly because it's a true story, but also because it's got a lot of stars. The problem is, it gets really dull now and then. Overall, it's pretty good, though.
  • sainttom93
    July 5, 2007
    sainttom93
    Tis is a GREAT idealization (not always totally accurate) picture of what happened after the Black Sox scandle of 1919! Shoeless Joe belongs IN the Hall of Fame!
  • KLFilmmaker
    December 8, 2010
    KLFilmmaker
    Very good biopic on the famous 'black sox' scandal.
  • DrStrangeblog
    October 14, 2010
    DrStrangeblog
    Probably my 2nd favorite baseball movie behind The Natural. Great evocation of an era when baseball players were regular working men and the greatest game faced its darkest days.
  • sayers1977
    May 11, 2010
    sayers1977
    A great ensemble film (if they filmed it now it would have a cast that would be the equivalant af Oceans 11!) and an engrossing true story. A young John Cusack is the standout here but David Strathairn is also brilliant as the ageing pitcher. Even if you've got no interest in bas... read moreeball it doesn't matter as the relationships between the characters is the main point of interest.
  • broadwaymo
    July 25, 2007
    broadwaymo
    One of the best sport/dramas ever produced is screenwriter/director John Sayles' interpretation of Eliot Asinof's book of the same title. A fact-based telling of the plot to throw the 1919 World Series by the Chicago White Sox, forever to be known as "The Black Sox Scandal". John... read more Mahoney, John Cusack, Michael Rooker and D. B. Sweeney head an all-star cast with David Straithairn turning in an outstanding performance as pitcher, Eddie Cicotte. One doesn't need to be a diehard baseball fan to appreciate this exceptionally well made film.
  • juliantoepfer
    January 4, 2012
    juliantoepfer
    Ironic that one of the best baseball movies of all time is about the sports biggest black-eye. A top notch drama that is an excellent period piece as well. The thing that sells it are some very good performances and its historical accuracy.

    The Black Sox scandal was an earth-sha... read morettering conspiracy when it happened, and remains perhaps the darkest hour in professional sports history. One of the most talented teams in this history of baseball agreed to throw the World Series in which they were heavily favored.

    The film really gets into the motivations, hesitance and quandaries of the players who are played by a talented and veteran cast. Recognizable actors like Cusack, Sweeney, Rooker, Sheen and several others are quite good. Throw in others like Mahoney, James and Lloyd and you have a pretty good backbone of talent.

    The story is very intriguing, but could have benefited from better pacing. At times it feels like its crawling, and at others it is moving too quickly. Really succeeds at capturing the out of control spiral this became for all parties involved, and its long lasting effects on the sport, such as the creation of the office of the Commissioner of baseball.

    Overall, this is a very accurate film that both entertains and informs. While it's obviously geared towards the baseball fan, it is much more than a sports movie. Definitely near the top of the pile as far as baseball films, and offers an interesting look into early 1900's America.
  • kenscheck
    October 16, 2011
    kenscheck
    The tale of the 1919 World Series, in which the Chicago White Sox threw the series for cash. The movie is first and foremost entertaining, but it also tells a fascinating story, a black mark in the history of baseball. I think it is a good film, probably lacking some accuracy, ... read morebut it is fairly true to the events that took place.

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Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel
August 1, 2008
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

Sayles often seems like a man who, trying to stretch a single, gets caught between bases and is desperately trying to evade the rundown. Full Review

March 21, 2007
Variety

Perhaps the saddest chapter in the annals of professional American sports is recounted in absorbing fashion in Eight Men Out. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
March 21, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Baseball fans might find this marginally absorbing; for anyone else it's as conscientious and stylistically pedestrian as Sayles's other films, and a mite overlong to boot. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

For Mr. Sayles, whose idealism has never been more affecting or apparent than it is in this story of boyish enthusiam gone bad in an all too grown-up world, Eight Men Out represents a home run. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's an insider's movie, a baseball expert's film that is hard for the untutored to follow. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

If John Sayles were a ballplayer, they'd call him Lefty -- not for his pitching arm but for his politics. The devoutly liberal filmmaker's political point of view is certain. It's his dramatic focus t... Full Review

Randy White
January 2, 2011
Randy White, Common Sense Media

A treat for baseball fans but might bore others. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 17, 2009
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

In 1988, writer-director John Sayles made his most ambitious film to date with this intelligent chronicle of the 1919 sports scandal, cast with some of the best actors around (Strathairn, Cusack, Swee... Full Review

August 1, 2008
Film4

Sayles' excellent film is more of a human tragedy than a sports movie -- meaning that even those with a limited knowledge of baseball should find it fascinating stuff. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
April 13, 2007
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Sayles gives the film an intelligent, well-researched, nostalgic tone with plenty of quiet moments to round out the excitement. Full Review

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