When Quentin Tarantino brings out a new film, I can’t help but feel it’s something I should watch, When I saw the trailer for The Hateful Eight, I thought it looked good and I added it to my list of films to see in 2016.
I am not a die hard Tarantino fan, however I have always enjoyed the films of his which I have watched. He has to be respected as a film maker, with a keen eye for detail and a throwback style with a nod to a bygone era of cinema, he is certainly unique as a modern day director. The Hateful Eight is his eight film and second western, set in Wyoming around 1875. The one thing I was worried about was the length of the film, with an intermission in the middle and a running time of over 3 hours it could be a daunting prospect to the viewer, however it didn’t feel like an overly long film when watching..
The film opens in snowy Wyoming with a severe blizzard on its way. Kurt Russell’s character, a bounty hunter named John Ruth is transporting his ‘bounty’ Daisy Domergue to Red Rock so she can be hanged and he can collect his bounty (money). Along the way he picks up Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) a fellow bounty hunter and the incoming sheriff of Red Rock Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins). These characters spend time in Ruth’s horse drawn carriage where we get to know them and their back stories, this is where Tarantino really begins to set up the film. The group arrive at Minnie’s Haberdashery to take shelter before the blizzard really sets in. Here we meet the rest of the cast as we are introduced to Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), Joe Gage (Michael Madson), Bob The Mexican (Demian Bichir) and General Smithers who is played by Bruce Dern.
This begins to really set the scene as the characters check each other out and question each others reasons to be at the halfway house in the storm, The Hateful Eight is set in a period where nobody trusts anybody and John Ruth is suspicious of all these men he is encountering, believing one of them is in cahoots with Daisy.
The Acts
The film is split into different acts with the first few setting up the story, they could be seen as a little bit drawn out but this really helps you to get to know the characters. After the break Tarantino himself gives a quick recap before the action really hots up. Of course, being a Tarantino film there is plenty of blood, gratuitous violence and incredible dialogue – Espcially from Samuel L Jackson who Tarantino wrote the part of Warren for. It is during this final act that Tarantino really comes into his own as a filmmaker, all his character building and set up leads to the inevitable pay off that will have you on the edge of your seat!
I found it a really enjoyable film, it’s clever and has that special Quentin Tarantino spin on a story. I am surprised it hasn’t received more acclaim and credit but maybe everyone just expects a great film when Tarantino comes to the big screen!
Have you seen The Hateful Eight or is it a film you’d like to see? Share your thoughts below!
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