As if the rest of the industry is so warm and fuzzy, “8MM,” the new release from Columbia Pictures, explores the sleazy underbelly of pornography.The film stars Nicolas Cage (“Leaving Las Vegas”) as Tom Welles, a surveillance expert who mostly does work for the wealthy and powerful. His cases are usually routine, such as finding out information on unfaithful spouses.Things change, though, when he is hired by the widow of a millionaire to find out the origins of a reel of film that was locked in her husband’s private safe.The film contains footage of a young girl being raped and brutally murdered. This is commonly called in the porn industry a “snuff” film and, according to Welles, is just an urban legend.Welles accepts the case and begins his journey to discover if the film is real or just staged, as most “snuff” films are believed to be.His quest takes him all over the country as he tries to identify the girl in the film and find out what happened to her. The path eventually leads him to Los Angeles where he meets Max California.Max, played by Joaquin Phoenix (“To Die For”), an adult bookstore clerk, becomes Welles’ tour guide into the wonderful world of illegal, black-market porn.The journey finally takes them to New York, to the makers of the film and to the realization that there are some pretty sick and disturbed individuals running around. And most of them don’t fit the “dirty old man” stereotype.Directed by Joel Schumacher (“The Client”), the film achieves the feel of a world that is less than normal and is certainly a dark place. Unfortunately, the film at times becomes less of a thriller about the evil that lurks in the dark corners of our society and more like a two-hour public service announcement about the horrors of underground pornography. The screenplay was written by Andrew Kevin Walker who was responsible for the 1995 hit film “Seven.” But, those expecting a repeat performance might be disappointed. One of the great things about “Seven” is that it was so disturbing that it made it difficult to watch. It seems as though Walker was going for the same feeling in this film, but missed his mark. Don’t get me wrong, there are some disturbing scenes in this film, but there is also the sense that a lot of it got left on the cutting room floor.Cage’s performance is respectable. There is no doubt that he has the ability to play different roles in drama, comedy, and action films. But, in this case, his portrayal of a man that becomes more tormented and disturbed by the minute seems slightly forced.Phoenix gives the best performance as Cage’s porn world-wise sidekick and handles his job as the source of comic relief for the film well.Overall, the film is entertaining and worth seeing if you’re a Nicolas Cage fan. But, if you were in the mood to see something truly disturbing, stay home and rent “Seven.”