The Hateful Eight (B+) Movie Review
The Hateful Eight stars Kurt Russell as the Hangman, a bounty hunter in post Civil War Wyoming taking his prisoner, Daisy Domergue, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, to hang in Red Rock. A blizzard hits them and they wind up stuck in Minnie's Haberdashery, a spacious cabin in the middle of nowhere with six other characters who may not be who they say the are.
Quentin Tarantino's 8th and latest film, The Hateful Eight, feels like a stage play that was brilliantly adapted to film. It's classic Tarantino, meaning it's a lot of fun, very talky, and quite bloody. But The Hateful Eight also has a bit of a social bite and political undercurrent to it, as we see Tarantino confront our nation's racist past via the character of Samuel L. Jackson, Major Marquis Warren. We also see Tarantino tackle ideas of femininity via the character of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daisy Domergue, who is perhaps the toughest, roughest, rowdiest, and most dangerous person in the film.
The Hateful Eight is a smart film in the vein of Agatha Christie. Tarantino's script is a blast, containing the relentlessly entertaining dialogue we've come to expect from him, but pulls off the twists and hidden motivations found in the mystery genre with ease. Christie would be proud. It's a slow burner of a film; there's a lot of talky bits (some of them unnecessary). But The Hateful Eight eventually builds to a crescendo of violence and mystery that Tarantino sustains for a while, just before losing it in the brief fifth part (the film is divided into six parts), and then getting it back. Still, this fifth part entitled "The Four Passengers" feels unnecessary, as all the information displayed for us here is explained later in the film.
Jennifer Jason Leigh delivers an exceedingly fun to watch, over the top performance as outlaw Domergue. Her performance is layered with humor, intensity, and best of all, mystery. It's truly one of the best supporting performances of the year. In fact, the whole ensemble is really fantastic. Kurt Russell is another standout, giving a John Wayne-inspired, tough guy performance. Tim Roth is fun to watch as he channels Christoph Waltz a little bit. Michael Madsen growls his way through the film to good effect. Samuel L. Jackson pretty much just plays Samuel L. Jackson but he's given a good bit to do and he's wildly charismatic.
As I mentioned before, the film is set in post Civil War Wyoming. Tarantino accomplishes a sense of place very well, utilizing stunning cinematography from Robert Richardson that doesn't exploit the beautiful area (wide shots are used but sparingly and to excellent effect) and perhaps the best score of the year from Ennio Morricone that creates a sense of vastness as it flows and ebbs. It's the man's first score for a Western in 40 years and you may recognize his name as the musician behind scores for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More. Costume designer Courtney Hoffman also did her job quite well.
Tarantino, as a director, seems to take more of a backseat in this film than he has in previous efforts. It's not as stylized as films like Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill. He knows that he's written a killer script with dynamite characters that are just plain good fun to watch interact with each other. It's fascinating because each character brings something different to the table. Speaking in terms of screenplay, though, this is still very Tarantino. We get the long conversations that aren't about much but are still a lot of fun to watch. We get a bit of a non-linear narrative structure (there are two flashbacks). Oh, and the profanity and blood is there too. You might have to wait a little while for the blood though.
That's actually my main problem with the film. Not so much that I need violence and action but Tarantino does take his sweet time getting to those climactic and exciting scenes and it's a little frustrating. With a run time of approximately two hours and forty five minutes, there's some footage that definitely could've been cut. As an audience member, I enjoyed seeing his characters talk but there are some unnecessary bits that slow the momentum. As a solution, I would've suggested just cutting the entire, or most of the, fifth part; it's dead weight.
But even when Tarantino's latest effort isn't completely taut and well paced, it's always entertaining. It may not be Tarantino's best film, it feels less innovative and creative than his other films but make no mistake, this is definitely a Tarantino film. It's excellently performed, a ton of fun to watch, and best in its most outrageous, unexpected moments. The Hateful Eight is one of the best films of the year.
FINAL GRADE: B+
MPAA RATING: R for strong bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language and some graphic nudity
Quentin Tarantino's 8th and latest film, The Hateful Eight, feels like a stage play that was brilliantly adapted to film. It's classic Tarantino, meaning it's a lot of fun, very talky, and quite bloody. But The Hateful Eight also has a bit of a social bite and political undercurrent to it, as we see Tarantino confront our nation's racist past via the character of Samuel L. Jackson, Major Marquis Warren. We also see Tarantino tackle ideas of femininity via the character of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daisy Domergue, who is perhaps the toughest, roughest, rowdiest, and most dangerous person in the film.
The Hateful Eight is a smart film in the vein of Agatha Christie. Tarantino's script is a blast, containing the relentlessly entertaining dialogue we've come to expect from him, but pulls off the twists and hidden motivations found in the mystery genre with ease. Christie would be proud. It's a slow burner of a film; there's a lot of talky bits (some of them unnecessary). But The Hateful Eight eventually builds to a crescendo of violence and mystery that Tarantino sustains for a while, just before losing it in the brief fifth part (the film is divided into six parts), and then getting it back. Still, this fifth part entitled "The Four Passengers" feels unnecessary, as all the information displayed for us here is explained later in the film.
Jennifer Jason Leigh delivers an exceedingly fun to watch, over the top performance as outlaw Domergue. Her performance is layered with humor, intensity, and best of all, mystery. It's truly one of the best supporting performances of the year. In fact, the whole ensemble is really fantastic. Kurt Russell is another standout, giving a John Wayne-inspired, tough guy performance. Tim Roth is fun to watch as he channels Christoph Waltz a little bit. Michael Madsen growls his way through the film to good effect. Samuel L. Jackson pretty much just plays Samuel L. Jackson but he's given a good bit to do and he's wildly charismatic.
As I mentioned before, the film is set in post Civil War Wyoming. Tarantino accomplishes a sense of place very well, utilizing stunning cinematography from Robert Richardson that doesn't exploit the beautiful area (wide shots are used but sparingly and to excellent effect) and perhaps the best score of the year from Ennio Morricone that creates a sense of vastness as it flows and ebbs. It's the man's first score for a Western in 40 years and you may recognize his name as the musician behind scores for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More. Costume designer Courtney Hoffman also did her job quite well.
Tarantino, as a director, seems to take more of a backseat in this film than he has in previous efforts. It's not as stylized as films like Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill. He knows that he's written a killer script with dynamite characters that are just plain good fun to watch interact with each other. It's fascinating because each character brings something different to the table. Speaking in terms of screenplay, though, this is still very Tarantino. We get the long conversations that aren't about much but are still a lot of fun to watch. We get a bit of a non-linear narrative structure (there are two flashbacks). Oh, and the profanity and blood is there too. You might have to wait a little while for the blood though.
That's actually my main problem with the film. Not so much that I need violence and action but Tarantino does take his sweet time getting to those climactic and exciting scenes and it's a little frustrating. With a run time of approximately two hours and forty five minutes, there's some footage that definitely could've been cut. As an audience member, I enjoyed seeing his characters talk but there are some unnecessary bits that slow the momentum. As a solution, I would've suggested just cutting the entire, or most of the, fifth part; it's dead weight.
But even when Tarantino's latest effort isn't completely taut and well paced, it's always entertaining. It may not be Tarantino's best film, it feels less innovative and creative than his other films but make no mistake, this is definitely a Tarantino film. It's excellently performed, a ton of fun to watch, and best in its most outrageous, unexpected moments. The Hateful Eight is one of the best films of the year.
FINAL GRADE: B+
MPAA RATING: R for strong bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language and some graphic nudity