Quentin Tarantino has directed many critically acclaimed movies such as “Pulp Fiction,” “Reservoir Dogs” and the “Kill Bill” Volumes I and II. Each of these films shows off his unique style of film writing. His last film, “Django Unchained,” is a Western movie, and his latest film is not expanding far from this film. “The Hateful Eight” is also a Western with a bit of Mystery thrown in.
The story takes place after the Civil War in Wyoming when a bounty hunter, Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) is transporting dead bounties to the town of Red Rock. He stumbles upon a stagecoach where he finds another bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his, still alive, bounty, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The two bounty hunters begin talking and connecting with each other’s occupations until an intense blizzard kicks up. The coach members take refuge in a nearby lodge, and find more individuals inside. However, the story takes a dark turn after a few individuals drop dead due to poisoning in their drinks. The people inside the lodge have to find out who poisoned the drinks while dealing with the paranoia and anxiety of hoping they are not next.
“The Hateful Eight” is a great idea; it mixes an old Western film with a mystery much like the famous game of Clue. With Tarantino’s style of tense moments, interesting dialogue choices, and slight witty humor, the movie shines through as another great Tarantino film.
The actors are the most successful part of the film as Jackson and Russell take most of the attention in the film. The chemistry between their acting sells the characters, such as the scene in the coach where the two compare their bounties and talk about their jobs as bounty hunters.
The music is fantastic, as it is similar to most western film soundtracks due to the electric and acoustic guitars, whistling, and loud drums. However, Tarantino has a few old songs put into the film’s soundtrack much like he does with a lot of his work. Another reason this soundtrack is wonderful is because most of the songs are produced by Ennio Morricone, who may be known for his work in the music of the Clint Eastwood westerns, “The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly,” and “A Fistful of Dollars.”
The theatrical release of the film wasn’t supposed to be released until January 8 of this year. However, Tarantino ordered around one hundred theatres to play the movie with 70 mm film, as he intended, as a roadshow presentation on Christmas Day of 2015. The reason for using 70 mm film was that the film would have a higher resolution than the 35 mm film format normally used in theatres today.
There are also a few issues with the film, such as the extended usage of language that some viewers might find offensive or vulgar. However, Tarantino has used this kind of language before so those who have seen his past works might know that it is expected in his films. Another issue is that some might find the dialogue in this film not as interesting as other Tarantino films.
“The Hateful Eight” is a good old fashioned western combined with Tarantino fun. If you are a fan of Tarantino’s films or are looking for a good western, then this is the movie for you. This film gets a 4.2/5
