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The Hateful Eight

Director: Quentin Tarantino.
Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino.
Starring: Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Demian Bichir, Channing Tatum, Jason Parks, Zoe Bell, Gene Jones, Dana Gourrier, Lee Horsley, Keith Jefferson, Craig Stark, Belinda Owino.

“Keeping you at a disadvantage is an advantage I intend to keep”

In January 2014, Quentin Tarantino officially announced that he would be following up his successful western Django Unchained with yet another trip down the trail with The Hateful Eight. However, the script was leaked shortly after this announcement and he abandoned the project – seemingly in favour of releasing it as a book instead. After a successful live script read at the United Artists Theatre in Los Angeles, Tarantino again changed his mind and decided to go ahead with making the film. It’s now close to 25 years since he arrived on the scene with his blistering debut Reservoir Dogs and in that time he’s only released eight films – with the intention of retiring after his tenth. That said, he’s made enough for us to reflect on his style and in some ways you could say that – although the genre is very different – this is as close in structure to his debut than any other film he’s done.
In Wyoming, after the civil-war, John “The Hangman” Ruth (Kurt Russell) is on his way to the town of Red Rock. He’s also escorting a fugitive – Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) whom he intends see at the end of a rope. En route, they encounter bounty hunter and ex-soldier, Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins) who happens to be the newly appointed Sheriff of Red Rock. Before they get there, however, a blizzard forces them to take shelter at Minnie’s Haberdashery. Here they encounter four more strangers; Bob “The Mexican” (Demian Bichir), Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), Joe Gage (Michael Madsen) and ex-Confederate General, Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). These eight strangers soon learn that not everyone is entirely who these say they are and making it to Red Rock will be harder than they thought.There’s a moment in The Hateful Eight where we’re informed that “The name of the game is patience“. Unfortunately, this advice comes later in the film when we’ve already learned this for ourselves by that point. Tarantino has never been as leisurely as he is here and it would be wise to prepare yourself for his lengthy and almost interminable first half as for approx an hour and 15 mins there’s little else but talking. It’s a fairly straight forward affair and, with the exception of the distinct dialogue, Tarantino’s trademark style is nowhere to be seen. Gone too are his pop-cultural references and chronological playfulness. This is very much a deliberately paced Tarantino. So deliberate that it feels like it’s playing out in real time which is an approach that may leave many viewers colder than the characters’ morals. However, patience is indeed a virtue and if you have it, it will be rewarded in the second half where the expected trademarks and stylistic flourishes appear with a bang – amidst a literal haze of blood, bullets and brains. For sure, The Hateful Eight eventually becomes “a mushroom-cloud laying motherfucker. Motherfucker!“When Tarantino decides to shut up shop and play out the majority of his action in a confined space, his use of the small space is skilfully handled; he segregates the room into a North and South divide with race and politics adding to the magnitude of the characters’ wildness. After building slowly he goes on to, essentially, craft a whodunit; a murder-mystery chamber piece (that shares more than a few passing resemblances to his debut) and could easily transfer to the stage with it’s concentrated and ferociously loquacious interactions. That said, it’s a bizarre choice for Tarantino to set his story so minimally and confined when he’s decided to shoot the film on 70mm with Panavision anamorphic lenses and a wide aspect ratio that’s normally suited to grand, outdoor filmmaking.

As a result, claims of self-indulgence wouldn’t be out of place. You get a slight whiff of Tarantino’s ego on display but this extends mostly to the writing; some scenes definitely go on too long and it would seem that Tarantino hasn’t listened to the critics who felt that Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained suffered a similar problem. He certainly knows how to write – there’s no question about that – but he also doesn’t know when to stop writing.

That said, his ability to stage tension has only grown stronger in his development as a filmmaker and despite overlength and messy denouements, Basterds and Django still contained some of the most intense scenes he’s ever delivered. The second half of The Hateful Eight very much keeps in tune with that. His propensity for violence is ever present but never been as brutal or gratuitously playful as it here. The recurrent Mexican stand-off used in Dogs, True Romance and Pulp Fiction is, once again, on display as well. In fact, the whole film feels like one big stand-off as each of the characters continuously suss one another out before it eventually culminates in true Tarantino fashion.With the opening landscapes and the poundingly effective score by Ennio Morricone you could be fooled into thinking that Quentin is out to emulate the classic spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone but this is really where the comparison ends. By his own admission, Tarantino was more influenced by John Carpenter and his classic paranoid horror, The Thing – of which Morricone was also the composer. In fact, there are three tracks throughout the film that were unused from The Thing’s original score. With this in mind, it would also explain the canny casting of Kurt Russell and the intense interaction in Minnie’s Haberdashery are very reminiscent of the closed quarter, paranoid exchanges in Carpenter’s classic.The performances, for the most part, are fantastic; Jackson, as always, was born to deliver Tarantino’s crisp and colourful dialogue while Russell fits the bill perfectly. He’s channeled John Wayne before in Escape from New York and Big Trouble in Little China and it would seem that QT is happy for him to deliver in the same deadpan, grizzly fashion. Jackson may rejoice in his profane and detailed monologues but it’s Russell’s one-liners that hit the mark. Jennifer Jason Leigh, as the rare female of the piece, gets more to do in the second half but for the first she’s merely fodder for her male counterparts’ consistent beatings and putdowns. Screams of misogyny can be heard across the plains and it’s really not as funny as Tarantino maybe intended. The welcome touch of humour comes in the form of Walton Goggins who seems to enjoy spouting Tarantino’s dialogue as much as Jackson but, sadly, it’s the Reservoir Dogs duo who suffer the most; Roth’s English gent feels like he belongs in another film and Madsen is sorely underused. His quiet, brooding “cow puncher” always feels like he’s got more to offer but he simply doesn’t materialise. It feels like a waste of Madsen’s effortless presence much like his underused character in Kill Bill.When all’s said and done, though, this is Tarantino we’re talking about. Despite his glacial pace, occasional padding and some underdeveloped supporting characters, this is still a tense and hugely enjoyable outing. Let’s put it this way, it’s never dull. Tarantino doesn’t do dull but I did have to question whether there’s enough material here to warrant a near 3 hour running time. Mark Walker

Trivia: There are two subtle references to Django Unchained in the film. First, when we meet Major Warren, he is sitting on top of 3 corpses and a saddle. This saddle was previously owned by Django and the second is in Minnie’s Haberdashery. Sitting on the floor of the haberdashery is Django’s green corduroy jacket. Both of these references have been confirmed by Samuel L. Jackson.

This entry was posted on January 8, 2016 at 2:43 pm and is filed under Crime, Mystery, Western with tags . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

39 Responses to “The Hateful Eight”

  1. le0pard13 Says:
    January 8, 2016 at 2:52 pm

    Fine review, Mark. Makes me wonder, if Sally Menke hadn’t died on that really hot day here in L.A. a few years back, how different Hateful 8 would have been.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Mark Walker Says:
      January 8, 2016 at 2:53 pm

      That’s a great point, Michael. I never even considered that. I had actually forgotten that Sally Menke even passed away. That has definitely got me wondering now! Thanks my friend, as always! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • le0pard13 Says:
        January 8, 2016 at 6:02 pm

        Did you see the 70mm “road show” version, or the digital projection. If you didn’t get to experience the former, with its prologue and intermission, you might have enjoyed QT’s pacing better. Or not…YMMV. 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      • Mark Walker Says:
        January 8, 2016 at 6:08 pm

        No “road show” version, Michael. I imagine you’d be right if that was the one I’d seen. I can see how the intermission could have helped. The problem with that, though, is an issue of how the film then ages. I’d love to see that version but sooner or later everyone will eventually be watching the normal cut as intermissions don’t really go down well when people are in their own homes. I’m now interested in how they’ll release this on BlueRay.

        Liked by 1 person

      • le0pard13 Says:
        January 8, 2016 at 6:11 pm

        Yes, that’s the question. And I’m still waiting on my KILL BILL: The Whole Bloody Affair cut I caught a few years ago to make it to Blu-ray! I keep hearing promises, and it’s not here, yet! 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      • Mark Walker Says:
        January 8, 2016 at 6:14 pm

        I’d be into catching that Kill Bill affair. There’s not been much talk about it over here but that sounds great. One things for sure, Tarantino certainly has some ambition and he’s trying to bring back a bygone age. Can’t fault him for that!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. ckckred Says:
    January 8, 2016 at 2:58 pm

    Nice review Mark. You know I loved The Hateful Eight, I was blown away by the 70 mm presentation and found its commentary on race insightful in today’s climate.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Mark Walker Says:
      January 8, 2016 at 3:12 pm

      I can understand your feelings on it, Charles. It’s a great flick. There’s no mistaking that. As we discussed before, I found a few flaws with it but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of it. QT’s still got it!!!

      Like

      Reply
  3. vinnieh Says:
    January 8, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    Nice work Mark, it sure looks like an eventful movie that’s for sure. I plan to see this because as you said there’s never usually a dull moment in a Tarantino movie.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Keith Says:
    January 8, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    Nice review Mark. Popped mine up a few days ago. Had several problems with it all related to Tarantino’s infatuation with his own style and formula. Die-hard Tarantino fans seem to really go for this one though.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Mark Walker Says:
      January 8, 2016 at 5:25 pm

      I noticed you had it up, bro. I’ll swing by in a few. I had issues with it too as QT’s ego seems to get in the way sometimes. That said, he’s talented enough for me still to enjoy what he does.

      Like

      Reply
  5. Stu Says:
    January 8, 2016 at 6:54 pm

    Good read mate. Sounds very much like a film of two halves, if you pardon the cliche/mixed metaphor, and in that respect I guess the intermission people get with the 70mm roadshow version would make sense. I’m watching it tomorrow night, so don’t have much to add, but it’s good to get your take on it in advance. His films have definitely become flabbier, looser over time (with the exception of Death Proof, I guess), and I still prefer the earlier, sharper blasts.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Tom Says:
    January 9, 2016 at 1:19 am

    “He certainly knows how to write – there’s no question about that – but he also doesn’t know when to stop writing.” – fucking brilliant observation sir. That, I think, is the essence of my gripes with this one. It’s weird though, I didn’t have a major issue with pacing or anything (save for that interminable zoom-out at the cross at the beginning. That shot, to me, epitomized anot indulgence in making a pretentiously long film so as to put off certain potential viewers. I really did love this movie. I think my 6/8 more reflects the technical aspects of the thing. As an experience, I’d watch this 4 times more often than The Force Awakens. For sure.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Mark Walker Says:
      January 9, 2016 at 12:45 pm

      I didn’t really have a problem with pacing per se. It was more that Tarantino played some scenes out far too much. They could probably have been shortened without losing any of their impact. To be honest, I think I’ll appreciate these things more on a second viewing. I wasn’t fully prepared by how leisurely the film was in the first half. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the overall experience. It was great a film and one that I will return to on a regular basis. Cheers mate!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Tom Says:
        January 9, 2016 at 8:06 pm

        No doubt about it, this is a slow burner. I thought the Chapters were kind of awkward, personally. Like some of them lasted all of 10-15 minutes while I think the Fourth Chapter (or maybe it was the 3rd, I can’t remember) took up the bulk of the runtime. I don’t know why that bothers me, but it did.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Mark Walker Says:
        January 10, 2016 at 12:31 am

        I didn’t really notice the length of the chapters but I did welcome them. They were a nice reminder of Tarantino’s style. Definitely a slow burn and one I can’t wait to see again. I’m sure I’ll probably take more from it second time around.

        Like

  7. Jordan Dodd Says:
    January 10, 2016 at 1:16 am

    I can’t wait to see this in a few days when it comes out down here. Great review Mark! I read that QT did everything possible to make Samuel L Jackson look like Lee Van Cleef, looks like he did a pretty good job!

    Liked by 1 person

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