The Hateful Eight (2015)

"One of them fellas is not what he says he is..."

Better late than never... Right?

A bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter from the Wyoming winter in a cabin with a group of unusual characters.

Having totally missed ‘The Hateful Eight’ in cinemas, I was pretty keen on getting my hands on the Blu-ray release. For one reason or another, it never found its way to Cineworld and, because my Cineworld card obviously doesn’t cover other cinema chains, finding the time to go elsewhere got harder and harder until it slipped by without me seeing it. 

After the script leaked, it was nearly scrapped by Tarantino and made into a novel, I held back from reading the leaked script so that I could enjoy it as a film, the way it was intended. 

I am a fan of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, especially his early work, but he's not been getting much praise recently. 'The Hateful Eight' was released to mixed reviews and I was becoming more and more afraid because it seemed that it was being pegged as the downfall of the once fresh and exciting director.

On the whole, I’m happy to say, that my fears were misplaced. 

‘The Hateful Eight’ is pretty much just John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ set in the wild west. Tarantino openly used it as his inspiration and it is clear to see why. He tries to recreate the claustrophobic, tense and suspicious atmosphere that 'The Thing' is famous for. The characters are all cornered with nowhere to go and none of them trust each other. It even has Kurt Russell in one of the leading roles.

The film kicks off with Samuel L. Jackson's character - Major Marquis Warren - crossing paths with bounty hunter John Ruth, who is taking dangerous outlaw Daisy Domergue to Red Rock to hang for her crimes. A cold winter storm hits them hard and they have to take shelter in Minnie's Haberdashery, an isolated cabin that is already housing a group of misfits. Not long after, suspicions arise about the honesty of some of the group in the cabin...

Each of the characters have their own motives and goals which clash with the others that are residing in the cabin. The cabin even seems to have motives of its own as it becomes a character in itself. 

A film like this lives and dies by its cast and I can't really find any real flaws in the troupe of actors. Samuel L. Jackson has his first leading role in a Tarantino film, despite it being their sixth collaboration. He's still a bit of a caricature but he's always an interesting actor to watch. He can be up and down, subtle then obvious and he always makes you laugh. He handles the lead role with ease and has some of the best scenes in the film. One in particular is when he's antagonising old war veteran General Sandy Smithers with an unforgettable tale that really shocks. 

The other stand out performances of the ensemble are Kurt Russell as the mean John Ruth (who I"m pretty sure is meant to be a Tarantino version of John Wayne), Walton Goggins as Sheriff Chris Mannix and Tim Roth as Oswaldo Mobray. Each of the characters have very distinct characteristics that make them unique and interesting to watch. They all deliver some really stylised and unusual performances that will stick with you.

I think that if you love Tarantino's dialogue, style and characters then this will probably be right up your street but if you don't then it might be a stretch too far. It has a huge running time of 167 minutes for the digital release and a whopping 187 minutes for the 70mm roadshow so if you're not a fan then it's going to be a long 2 hours and 45 minutes. 

As with most of Tarantino's films, the dialogue is one of the main driving forces in the film with long and intricate monologues and extended conversations between characters. It builds characters and adds tension to specific scenes that only Tarantino could pull off. Like I said, if you're not into that style then the film will probably drag but for me it doesn't feel like nearly three hours. 

Ennio Morricone does the score, for which he won his first oscar, and it's funny because I don't think it's his best score. It's almost like someone trying to do their best Ennio Morricone impression but, nonetheless, it's a Morricone score so it's still epic. It's different having an original score in a Tarantino film and you do miss that signature soundtrack that Tarantino would put together from his record collection.

There are some shocking scenes that you know to expect from a Tarantino film and they do deliver on shock value while adding to the story. If you are squeamish then you're not going to handle some of the later scenes in the film, aside from 'Kill Bill' this has got to have some of the most violent set pieces I've seen in a Tarantino film. 

I wish I could have seen the roadshow version in all it's 70mm glory, it would have enhanced the viewing experience tenfold and was shot with that in mind. It's meant as a throwback to the golden age of cinema when going to the movies was an event that people would get dressed up for. There would be an intermission and a musical overture and Tarantino actually created that same layout for 'The Hateful Eight'. Also, to see Robert Richardson's cinematography on the big screen would have been incredible. He captures some stunning moments that remind us why cinema is king and why the Western was so important to our cinematic landscape.

Overall, a solid movie that reminds us of why we love watching Tarantino's films. They're fun, entertaining and cinematic. 

Tarantino's masterpiece? I don't think so but an enjoyable movie? Absolutely. 

And at the end of the day, I'll never get tired of hearing Samuel L. Jackson saying "motherfucker".