Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, and Anthony Heald appear in supporting roles.

Private investigator Tom Welles is contacted by Daniel Longdale, attorney for wealthy widow Mrs. Christian.

While clearing out her late husband's safe, she and Longdale found an 8mm movie which appears to depict a real murder of a girl, but Mrs. Christian wants to know for certain.

After looking through missing persons files, Welles discovers the girl is Mary Ann Mathews and visits her mother, Janet, in North Carolina.

In Hollywood, with the help of adult video store employee Max California, Welles delves into the world of underground fetish pornography.

Contact with talent scout Eddie Poole leads Welles and Max to Dino Velvet, a director of violent pornography.

To gain more evidence, Welles pretends to be a client interested in commissioning a hardcore BDSM film to be directed by Velvet and starring Machine.

Velvet and Machine produce a bound and beaten Max, whom they abducted to force Welles to bring them the only surviving copy of the film.

As they are about to kill Welles, he says Mr. Christian paid $1 million for the film; Velvet, Poole, and Machine received $50,000 and Longdale kept the major portion.

Welles warns his wife of the impending danger and to seek shelter in a location known only to them, and hands her his half of the money.

In May 1997, it was reported Columbia Pictures had acquired the Andrew Kevin Walker penned 8 Millimeter for $750,000 against $1.25 million.

"[8] Peter Travers for Rolling Stone wrote that the film "aims for a psychological depth that the script can't sustain.