“The Hateful Eight” Review
In what perhaps is Tarantino’s best display of film making to-date, The Hateful Eight might be a bit too hardcore for newbies.
The cliche saying goes: “Do what you do best”
As the best example of a modern auteur, Quentin Tarantino took this “after-school special” slogan to new heights in his most recent effort, The Hateful Eight.
After all, it would take a flawless mix of writing and cinematography that only Tarantino can produce to make this 3-hour log cabin edition of “Who Done It” as ridiculously immersive as it is.
The plot revolves around 8 of the most despicable characters Quentin has ever come up with (title reference!) who find themselves snowed in during a blizzard. Each character is quick on the draw to reveal themselves as genuine scumbags, leaving the viewer free to choose sides.
The euphemistic manner in which each character describes their intentions is scattered across Tarantino’s trademark hypnotic dialogue, and creates several sequences of delightfully suffocating tension.
It’s practically the equivalent of the famous “Basement Bar” scene from Inglourious Basterds stretched into a standalone movie.
The attention-grabbing experience Tarantino creates is especially impressive given the fact that 95% of the film takes place in a single log cabin.
However, Quentin’s mastery of cinematography as a storytelling element is on full display, as the angles and lighting projected on the screen make the cabin look infinitely larger than it probably is.
The cinematic expansion of limited space is especially important, given the 8 big-hitter actors who make up the cast.
The script’s ability to balance 8 fully developed characters and give each actor ample time to shine culminates into one of the most impressive feats Tarantino has ever accomplished in his career. And buddy, that’s saying something.
And how about the ensemble of Tarantino throwbacks? It was great to see Tim Roth and Michael Madsen again after several years, and Samuel Jackson has always been a welcomed staple.
However, it’s hard not to commend Walton Goggins (The Sheriff) for nearly stealing the show in a film with this much star power. Although he starts off a bit slow, Goggins’ range within such a dynamic character shows that he’s more than grown beyond his henchman role in Django Unchained.
So, what’s wrong with it, then?
The short answer: nothing.
Long answer: nothing…until you compare it to its predecessors.
The only downside to this movie is the fact that we have to compare it to every other Tarantino movie in existence…much like the Hatori Hanzo swords from Kill Bill.
I would put it somewhere towards the upper-middle of the pack–behind Pulp and Basterds, but ahead of Kill Bill. It might be the best made film in Tarantino’s catalogue, but it gets edged out by his prior movies in terms of overall experience.
From a technical film-making aspect, this is Quentin at his absolute best.
However, at times it can feel a little too self-indulgent. While I’ve always loved the amount of comedic violence in these films, it just seemed a bit too present for the sake of being a Tarantino flick than anything else. Same for the non-linear story line–they both just seemed to be tacked on for consistency’s sake.
Also: dialogue. Lots, and lots of dialogue.
The dialogue-to-action ratio shouldn’t be much of an issue for seasoned Tarantino fans, as most will know what they’re getting themselves into.
For a Tarantino newbie, though, this isn’t a movie I would recommend starting with.
This isn’t to say that the movie is bad by any means, though–I think it’s the best film I’ve seen in over a year (yes, better than Star Wars). But it’s definitely towards the more “hardcore” viewer.
That being said, I’m sure most of you have seen Quentin’s movies before anyway, in which case I’d highly recommend this one.
Verdict: 9/10