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Poster for Eight Men Out

Eight Men Out

When the cheering stopped, there were... Eight Men Out.

1988 · 2h · PG Drama, History
Directed by John Sayles

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Overview

Buck Weaver and Hap Felsch are young idealistic players on the Chicago White Sox, a pennant-winning team owned by Charles Comiskey - a penny-pinching, hands-on manager who underpays his players and treats them with disdain. And when gamblers and hustlers discover that Comiskey's demoralized players are ripe for a money-making scheme, one by one the team members agree to throw the World Series. But when the White Sox are defeated, a couple of sports writers smell a fix and a national scandal explodes, ripping the cover off America's favorite pastime.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
87%
Tomatometer
Fresh

The tone of Eight Men Out is reminiscent of the droll irony of John Huston's considerations of the vanity of human wishes and the corrupting power of money.

Desmond Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer
Fresh

It's a period re-created with a whoosh of energy and a redeeming vein of irony.

Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times
Fresh

The ensemble performances are of such a uniformly high caliber that our interest in the story never wavers.

Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune
Rotten

Eight Men Out never gathers much authority; the old themes have been hung on a rickety structure that constantly threatens to collapse.

Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune
Fresh

In an ensemble movie like this one, an actor who grabs too much of the limelight can throw everything out of focus. The cast Sayles has assembled understands the value of teamwork.

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

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