Eight Men Out (1988)

Tagline: The inside story of how the national pasttime became a national scandal.

Cusack Plays: George 'Buck' Weaver, Chicago White Sox player, part of the 1919 team who threw the World Series.

Family Connections: Dad Dick plays Judge Friend

Ah goody a sports film. And a sport in which, I, as a Brit do not have much of an affinity with. It's a like a mixture of cricket and rounders, right?

Apparently this team was one of the greatest ever, and it came as a surprise when they lost the World Series that year. Reason being - they threw the games for money, as the team owner was a total tight-ass who didn't financially reward them for their great achievements. The film follows the story from the scheme being organised, through all the games and suspicions and to the trial which followed.

Cusack plays a character who is sort of in on it, but who doesn't play badly and protests his innocence to the end. What a good guy.

Most of the lingo went over my head, but as I didn't know the outcome of the story I was kept reasonably interested throughout. Not bad.