I woke up this morning to an article in The Wall Street Journal reporting that Manchester City Football Club had violated numerous Premier League financial rules, paying players millions of dollars more than allowed over a decade. We’ve seen Deflategate, electronic snooping by the Astros, and other sporting transgressions. But the big daddy of them all remains the 1919 Black Sox scandal, in which eight Chicago White Sox players conspired with legendary gamblers to throw the World Series.
“Eight Men Out” tells that story. Who would have thought a film about baseball’s blackest mark could be so compelling?
Besides directing (and in many cases self-financing) a number of wonderful films such as “Matewan,” “Passion Fish,” “Lone Star” and “Sunshine State,” John Sayles also has directed music videos (three for Bruce Springsteen) and written major film scripts (co-writing “The Howling”) and novels. Sayles came to movies, as many others did, through screenwriting and working for schlock king Roger Corman. Sayles belongs to that small group of directors working outside the Hollywood mold, alongside Robert Altman and Christopher Guest, who assemble recurring troupes of actors, many not yet well known, and give us superb exercises in ensemble acting.
In “Eight Men Out,” the cast includes John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, D.B. Sweeney, Clifton James, David Strathairn, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Kevin Tighe and Michael Lerner. Historian Studs Terkel plays sportswriter Hugh Fullerton, and Sayles himself appears as Ring Lardner.
Where most Hollywood movies follow the journey and character arc of a principal hero or two, this film gives us no heroes but a hefty dose of honor among thieves, spreading the drama across a dozen or more principal players. It is a delicate balancing act: He constantly shifts the focus from one character to another while keeping the story spellbinding and moving forward.
The shifting focus of the film demands a great deal from the screenplay, which Sayles also wrote. Each character must come into focus in the brief screen time available to him. Sayles gives us just enough insight into each man to make the ensemble work, allowing the fascinating story to shine through.
As a period piece, the film is impeccable in its sets, costumes and soundtrack. Much of it was shot at Bush Stadium, an old baseball venue in Indianapolis that has since been converted into apartments. Away from the ballpark, the action moves among train cars, hotel rooms, courtrooms and offices. Like his mentor Roger Corman, Sayles makes efficient use of a few sets, while more than 25 speaking roles fill each scene with an appropriate level of commotion.
Another aspect of the movie that I appreciate is Sayles’ devotion to historical accuracy: The filmmakers apparently took great pains to reproduce the players’ positions and each game’s batting order. The tone comes right out of Damon Runyon, and I would suggest a wonderful double bill pairing this film with “Guys and Dolls.” How brilliantly on the nose is the refrain of “After You’ve Gone,” a song about loss and what could have been? I have watched “Eight Men Out” many times, and it still transports me to an era that was perhaps not so innocent after all. Sayles captures it beautifully.
“Eight Men Out” screens at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, as part of the Tuesday Nights at the Movies series at Woodmere, 9201 Germantown Ave. in Chestnut Hill. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and light refreshments will be provided prior to the screening. Tuesday Nights at the Movies screenings are free to the public, but donations are greatly appreciated.
