MOVIE REVIEW: The Hateful Eight (2015)

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Western, Mystery

Directed By: Quentin Tarantino 

When Quentin Tarantino releases a new film it is a cinematic event, at least for me, and after this film was nearly never made due to a script leak it jumped right to the top of my most anticipated list. The eighth film from the writer/director titled The Hateful Eight aims to remind audiences how despicable our past often was, much like he has done with his previous two films, however this may be the meanest of the bunch. Shot in 70mm the movie has the scope and feel of your favorite classic westerns blended with the in-your-face violence and brilliant dialogue of  Quentin Tarantino. Once again he has made a film that is nothing like you have seen before

Despite how large this movie feels it is actually quite small compared to his previous western Django Unchained, which was on a level much like the classic epics like Leone's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Hateful operates on a smaller scale telling the story of eight of the worst people you have ever met all stuck together in a cabin during a terrible blizzard. Differing circumstances brought these eight people together in this storm but John Ruth (Kurt Russell) has a hunch it's his prisoner Daisy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) that holds their true attention and from the moment their party arrives in the haberdashery tensions are high. Bringing along former slave and current bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) doesn't help their case either as half of their party now consists of vicious racists as well, two days in this cabin now seems like an eternity.

What Tarantino has essentially done with his newest film is create a three hour long conversation and it is one of the greatest ones you will ever experience. His films have always boasted incredibly smart dialogue, usually shown best in his "table talk" scenes that bring our core group of characters together around some sort of table where they simply have a conversation, and it is always one of the best moments of his films. This time around however, rather than giving one key scene of that dinner table dialogue he has instead created an entire film that is just that. The Hateful Eight is basically one extra long table talk scene that we get to see in its entirety, this is a film for the die-hard Tarantino fans, not the ones who are just there for the ultra violence and curse words. 

With that being said, this movie is also beautifully violent, as is with most of his movies. Although this film focuses significantly less on this aspect than most of his other work it definitely doesn't abandon it. Instead he uses it much more selectively in this film to give each brutal moment that much more emphasis and power. Each and every time blood is shed throughout the three hours it is in a way that you most definitely will not forget, and it always moves the story forward.  Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger of KNB Effects have once again show how masterful their work is and why they are hands down the best in the business when it comes to practical blood effects. 

Although this movie differs in so many ways from much of previous work it still mirrors much of what he has accomplished in the past and most notably in his casting. Just like with every other one of his films the casting is perfect for his newest one. Tarantino not only writes some of the best characters and dialogue of anyone to ever make films but he brings them to life just as perfectly with his casting. Kurt Russell, Samuel L Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Michael Madsen, and Demian Bichir make up The Hateful Eight and each shine in the respective roles. Of those Jennifer Jason Leigh is the clear standout, her masterful performance in this film puts her back on the map and in a huge way. 

What truly makes this film stand apart from not just anything he has done in the past, but that most any filmmaker has done, is that the entire cast of characters in this film are terrible people. Sure, you may come to like certain characters more than others but when you sit back and look at them all there isn't one resectable soul in the bunch. They are all racist in their own way, bigoted, murdering, mean spirited pieces of human filth and your job as the viewer is to decide which, if any, of these people deserve to leave this cabin alive when the storm clears. It's one wickedly brilliant way to shove our country's dark and terrible history right back in our ignorant faces. This isn't revisionist history in any way, this is the reality so many choose to ignore. 

Only Tarantino can show his audience three hours of the worst people imaginable and have them love every second of it. We are all living while one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time is still working, don't take that for granted. Shot in 70mm this movie is huge in a way that can only be appreciated on a giant screen. So go out and see this as big and as loud as you can, it was made for the cinematic experience. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!