First off, the first thing that came to my mind after I finished this film last night was "Why the title of 8MM 2?", because I saw the first one obviously, and what did this have to do with the first movie's plot? The only thing that was similar was the fact that the couple had to go into the porno industry and that wasn't even needed in the plot, because after you see the ending that I will not spoil, it just didn't make any sense.
A diplomat and his fiancée are in Hungary and notice a woman who is swimming naked in the pool area, she's very attractive, so when they see her at a club, they decide to have a little fun and have a steamy threesome. But things get extremely intense when the diplomat is mailed pictures of them all having the affair, fearing that it might go public and jeopardize his career, they pay off the guy who sent the pictures, the diplomat freaks out and "kills" the guy, leading into a murder case. He and his fiacee decide to find the girl they had the affair with, but things just get deeper and darker as they go further into what they got themselves into.
What could have been an alright thriller, turned into an unexplained and not well thought out movie, which was sad. Like I said, the title really has nothing to do with the first one, so don't fall for it. It's just a sexual thriller that makes no sense, but it's good for those nights alone, because quite frankly this is one of those films where it's so close to porn that it might as well be labeled as soft core.
4/10
8MM 2
2005
Mystery / Thriller
8MM 2
2005
Mystery / Thriller
Plot summary
David Huxley, low-born self-made legal counsel at the US embassy in Budapest, may expect his career to be boosted by his impending marriage to Tish, daughter of old money tycoon and ambassador to Hungary Harrington. But when the happy couple spends a night of hot sex at a spa, including a threesome with an exhibitionist model, they are secretly filmed, and the suspect is found murdered in their hotel. To handle the blackmail, they venture into a sex club where porno movies are made. Tish volunteers to 'act' so David can snoop around, but that only gets them into even greater danger, which ultimately proves most deceptive.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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What started off as an alright film, it ended pretty badly
Name change
After seeing the movie in a class of mine and having a talk with the filmmaker, I found out exactly why the film bombed the way it did. The creators of the movie had no intention to call the film "8MM 2." Originally, the film was called "The Velvet Side of Hell" but was changed at the last minute by Sony Pictures to 8MM 2 without letting the filmmakers have any say in the matter. By doing that, it screwed them out of theatrical releases and doomed it to a straight to video release with minimal advertising.
Again, this is from the filmmaker's mouths, not mine, so I really can't say what is truth, and what is hype.
If you look at the film as "Velvet Side of Hell," it isn't THAT bad. It isn't great, but it is not god awful. It would basically just be a B-movie that likes to show boobs. But as a sequel to "8MM," the film fails terribly.
Underrated
This is not at all a bad movie, if you drop the following expectations:
- 8mm sequel?? It has nothing to do with 8mm, the movie with Nicolas Cage.
- Story? The plot is not hugely elaborate, it's a blackmailing story which takes a slight twist at the end.
- Actors? Acting should have been with more heart and more convincing.
Other than that, it's a highly enjoyable movie. It's full of masterfully photographed erotic, film-noir atmosphere, very nice on-location footage from Hungary and an excellent soundtrack.
Although the story has its deficits, it serves well for generating a big deal of suspense. Much of the suspense originates from the psychological interplay between the different "opponents" in the movie. It's not about dull action scenes or car hunts.
Altogether, still worth a 7. Good time watching.