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“ | You're not gonna kill me. You don't have it in you. What are you gonna do? You gonna shoot me with you own gun, huh? Registered in your name? You really f--king thought this through, didn't you, genius. | „ |
~ Eddie taunting Tom Welles. |
Eddie Poole is a supporting antagonist in the 1999 thriller 8mm. He is a small-time producer of hardcore pornographic films who, along with conspirators Dino Velvet and Machine, produced a real snuff film of the brutal killing of a teenage girl; Mary Ann Matthews.
He was portrayed by the late James Gandolfini, who was best known for playing Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, Virgil in True Romance, Ben Pinkwater in Terminal Velocity, Colonel Winter in The Last Castle, and Kenny Kane in The Mighty.
Character overview[]
Eddie Poole is a small-time producer and "talent scout" of hardcore pornographic films, specializing in snuff films in which underage girls are raped and tortured. He works primarily with director Dino Velvet and "actor" Machine, who hurts the girls on film.
In 1993, he was contacted by Daniel Longdale, a lawyer for millionaire Charles Christian, who offered to pay him to produce a film. Poole took the job, and manipulated 16-year-old Mary Ann Matthews, a runaway and aspiring actress, into "auditioning" for a part in what she believed to be a legitimate film. Once he lured her to Velvet's studio, he watched while Machine raped, tortured, and killed her, all while Velvet filmed it. He then buried her in the woods.
In the film[]
Six years later, Tom Welles, a private investigator working for Christian's widow, contacts Poole, asking about Mary. Poole lies that he doesn't know her, and then makes a panicked phone call to Velvet, and both of them begin planning to kill Welles.
Poole sets up a meeting between Velvet and Welles, who is pretending to commission a snuff film. He and Longdale then hire Machine to kidnap Welles' friend and partner, Max California, to lure Welles in. Welles tries to save Max, but to no avail; Machine kills him right in front of Welles, while Longdale destroys the only copy of the film. To buy time, Welles reveals that Longdale cheated Poole and Velvet out of the majority of the money Christian gave him to make the film. A struggle ensues in which Velvet and Longdale are killed and Machine is wounded, but Welles gets away.
Shortly afterwards, Welles surprises Poole in his car and takes him hostage. They go to the site where Poole buried Mary Ann's body, and Poole tells Welles what happened. He claims to have been horrified by Mary Anne's death, but then dismisses the crime as "ancient history" and speaks disrespectfully about Mary Ann herself. Enraged, Welles hogties Poole and threatens to kill him, but Poole mocks him as too weak to go through with it. After getting "permission" from Mary Ann's mother, however, Welles beats Poole to death with the butt end of his pistol.