The Hateful Eight (2015) Review

When I first heard the description of the Hateful Eight I thought it would be vintage Tarantino. The cast was uniting the director with his favorite collaborators and the unique premise sounded like it would be one of Tarantino's best films. Unfortunately it isn't, in fact, It's probably my least favorite Tarantino film.

The Basic story follows eight strangers who, just after the Civil War, find themselves stranded in the middle of a blizzard. Each one of these strangers has a storied past and a secret to hide and all will be revealed in a tirade of bloodshed.

This film begins well enough with beautiful vistas and a soaring Morricone soundtrack, one of the best I've heard in years. The initial "chapters" adequately build anticipation and suspense as each of these characters meet one another. There is this atmosphere of palpable mystery as well as a sense of scope not previously felt in a Tarantino epic. As the characters eventually arrive at the small set where most of the film is confined they seem to be coming into their own. In these initial sections the shadow of the Civil War is strongly felt and there's a tension that hasn't been in a Tarantino film since Pulp Fiction. Then it all goes to hell.

The second half of the films three hour runtime is spent reveling in nearly senseless bloodshed. The tension only builds to a poorly constructed and developed mystery whose plot twists come out of left field and have no emotional resonance for the audience. Basically it all feels like an excuse to push the boundaries of film violence one more time. Gone are the realistic and post Civil War tensions, strong character development, and sense of impending doom. They are replaced by repulsive acts of violence and cartoonish sequences which feel like a bad Agatha Christie parody set in the old west.

The film's two strongest points which survive this second half cannot save it. The first strong point is the acting by the main cast which is very good. Special nods to Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who rightfully deserves her best supporting actress nomination. The second strong point is the film's 70mm cinematography. this really adds a great look to the film despite its confined nature. Tarantino is now a sure handed director whose style has been honed and he shows great command of the camera here.

Unfortunately, at the end of the film one cannot help but feel that this was an overblown mess of a movie. It had great potential but that potential is washed away in the gallons of blood thrown at the screen in the second half. This film really has all of the weak aspects of previous Tarantino efforts on display in one film. I do not recommend it 2/5