Eight Men Out

Baseball fans may not mind this slow-paced period-piece, which takes an unexpected stance on the "Black Sox" scandal, one of the darkest moments in baseball history. Instead of blaming the players who took the payoff, writer/director John Sayles suggests that the owner's greed was ultimately responsible for the incident and that profiteering employers have too much power and tend to abuse their workers. This agenda places Eight Men Out in the cinematic tradition of baseball movies as social commentary. An emblem of the nation, baseball movies depict both America's faults and virtues.

Sayles's film, however, is not merely political. He recognizes that at least a few of the White Sox players are motivated by greed, and he showcases the public pain that their betrayal causes. "Say it ain't so, Joe" is the famous refrain of one disbelieving youngster. Buck Weaver (John Cusack) is the movie's most sympathetic character not only because he shuns the gamblers, but because he understands how the scandal affects the kids on the street. Eight Men Out is provocative if overly focused on details.