I didn't realize this movie was directed by P.T. Anderson until I saw his name pop up in the credits. Some quick googling revealed that this was in fact his debut feature. This was particularly coincidental because just a few days prior I had started to watch Anderson's most recent feature, the Best Picture nominated _Licorice Pizza_. I say started, because I only made it half way through. Not because it was bad, per se, but because it was late and my girlfriend wasn't particularly invested (I'm sure I'll finish it at some point). I only bring all of this up as a way to introduce some broader commentary on Anderson's overall body of work. Full transparency, I've got a few gaps in my viewership (_Boogie Nights_, _Punch-Drunk Love_, & _Magnolia_), but I've seen all his other features (_There Will Be Blood_, _The Master_, _Inherent Vice_, & _Phantom Thread_).

Watching _Hard Eight_, it was interesting to see that Anderson's signature style of storytelling seems to have been well established even at the start of his career. First and foremost, he writes character driven films. In this case, it's not until toward the end of the movie that we get an external conflict that starts to follow a traditional (A) leads to (B) leads to (C) structure. Everything before that point feels like character study. Luckily, Anderson crafts his characters in such a way that they don't need much narrative structure to be compelling. While it may seem counterintuitive, I think part of this success hinges on very restrained characterization. There are few, if any, expository dumps to tell the audience what makes these characters tick. Instead, every character feels like a puzzle, and with each scene we get a few more pieces to try to put together the picture of who they are. But Anderson never gives us enough to have the whole picture, which allows his characters to surprise the audience in a way that never feels cheap or unearned.

While Anderson's approach is almost always well executed, I do think it speaks to why his films are not crowd pleasing blockbusters. The average audience member will need more of a narrative to latch onto, not just characters. I think this is why I tend to come away from his films saying "good, not great". I enjoy them, but still generally prefer something with a stronger through line.

All of that said, I'd be remiss if I didn't also comment on the stellar performances, which are certainly another hallmark of Anderson's films. While no one disappoints, Philip Baker Hall was the big standout in this restrained role that really embodies Anderson's style of characterization. Even in his simplest scenes, the character feels real, with every word and action influenced by some complex history that the audience will never know.