The Hateful Eight is the eighth film from master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and like his previous outing, Django Unchained, he’s tackling the Spaghetti Western genre once again. Let’s see here. Witty dialogue? Check. Outrageous humor? Check. Over-the-top violence? Check. Great film. Half-checked.
The movie takes place years after the Civil War and centers around a shady group of characters. Samuel L. Jackson as a bounty hunter on his way to deliver a series of bodies to the town of Red Rock, Wyoming and along the way, he encounters a hangman named John Ruth (Kurt Russell). Ruth is transporting his own bounty to be hanged, a fugitive named Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh).
The three of them arrive at a haberdashery during the middle of a blizzard and together, they are introduced to more shady characters. Tim Roth plays the Red Rock hangman; Michael Madsen is a cowboy, Walton Goggins is a newly-appointed sheriff and Bruce Dern plays a former Confederate general.
Due to the blizzard, the group has no choice but to wait it out and, in the meantime, they find out about each other and why they are on the paths they are on. However, it doesn’t take long before their hidden agendas and ulterior motives become front and center.
Tarantino photographed this movie using 70 mm cameras and you can immediately recognize the aspect ratio. The shots are gorgeous including some moments that will play very nicely on IMAX screens.
As for the rest of the film, I already mentioned that it’s pretty much standard Tarantino. The dialogue is written with panache and the actors certainly have a flair for showmanship when it comes to the execution. The humor is also self-conscious as is to be expected and as a filmmaker, Tarantino is able to get away with certain taboos while winking.
The reason why I think this is a very good film and not great is mainly because I think Tarantino tried too hard to appease to every kind of fan of his films. It is very much dialogue-driven, funny, and even incredibly violent on occasion, but it just seems like a mishmash that ends up having less impact than it should. The result can be occasionally uneven and as a fan of his, it’s a little disappointing.
Even though I don’t think the film works like it wants, I’m still recommending it on the basis of Tarantino’s craft and the performances. The Hateful Eight is not his best film. That honor still belongs to Pulp Fiction. It’s also not his most entertaining. That honor still belongs to Django Unchained. Despite its flaws, it’s also got more than its fair share of brilliance. If only Tarantino could’ve honed his skills to the maximized effect.
Grade: A-
(Rated R for strong bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language and some graphic nudity.)
