The Hateful Eight (2016) review

The Hateful Eight – review

Quinten Tarantino is a film fan! His eighth film The Hateful Eight pays homage to ‘the western’; to ‘film noir’; and to ‘the epics’ of the 40 s and 50s. It is long, and in places it is verbose, but it is never boring. It is ultra ultra violent, but it is also a visual joy filled with stunningly beautiful images. Add to the mix a story that is surprising and quite often funny and you have all the ingredients for a classic.
Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Set a few years after the American Civil War, The Hateful Eight is the tale of two bounty hunters who team up for various reasons and take shelter at a staging post come general store, during a massive snow storm. Samuel L Jackson reprises his role as ‘The Coolest Man on Earth’ and Kurt Russel play as good a snarling gnarly anti-hero as you could ever want. Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins and Michael Madsen give strong performances falling just short of cliché which I am sure was the desired effect. Channing Tatum, Demián Bichir, and Jennifer Jason Leigh complete the ensemble and all fit together perfectly.

Filmed in 70 mm Panavison the wide out door shots are magnificent but even the intense indoor sequences (which are at least 50% of the movie) seem epic. I saw the standard cinema screening version but I am told the full 70mm theatrical screening is even better. My understanding is that this version is slightly longer and comes with an intermission, which probably explains the rather stage bit of narration which occurs half way through.

All in all, I really enjoyed The Hateful Eight, even if one or two scenes made me cringe with revulsion, so I am not quite sure why I left the Cinema with a slight sense of dissatisfaction. Perhaps it was because I thought it was nearly as good as Pulp Fiction. Perhaps it was because I could not quite figure out what it was ‘saying’ although it seemed to say quite a lot. Perhaps I am just a bit jaded. I really don’t know!? However, it was, truly, a visual treat filled with Tarantino magic. Will it becomes a classic in its own right? – Only time will tell.

Reviewed by TheManInTheBlackHat.