The Hateful Eight: Movie Review
Quentin Tarantino delivers once again with the highly anticipated western “The Hateful Eight”. Although this isn’t my personal favorite from the filmmaker, I will say that it is definitely in the top five. My review is on the Roadshow version which runs over three hours and includes an overture and intermission. Although a 70MM print wasn’t screened for us, the digital version still looked great.
Set a few years after the Civil War in Wyoming, bounty hunter Jon Ruth (Kurt Russell) is on his way to Red Rock with wanted murderer, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) where he will deliver her to justice. Along the road, Ruth, Daisy and stagecoach driver O.B. (James Parks), run into Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and soon-to-be Red Rock Sheriff Chris Mannix (Walter Goggins). Ruth has no desire to pick up anyone, especially since he has a ten thousand dollar bounty riding along with him. However, he decides not to leave the men stranded in the freezing cold.
Much like a play, “The Hateful Eight” is told in multiple acts and once the stagecoach arrives at Minnie’s Haberdashery for food, rest and shelter from the blizzard, the film begins to feel like a play. This is a good thing. Most of the story takes place in this single location. Ruth, Warren, Mannix, and Domergue are not alone. Also staying at the Haberdashery are Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), who claims to be a hangman. Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), and Bob (Demian Bichir) who is supposedly watching over the place for Minnie while she is visiting her mother. Not everyone is who they claim to be and Ruth is absolutely certain that someone is there to free his prisoner.
“The Hateful Eight” is long, but it feels as long as “The Revenant” which happens to be almost a half hour shorter. Much of the reason for this is the dialogue. Tarantino knows how to write dialogue and when it’s spoken by the likes of Jackson, Roth, and Goggins, I can listen to it for hours. Speaking of Goggins, I have been a fan of his for a few years and he is finally given the chance to shine on the big screen. He is as much a star of “The Hateful Eight” as the other leads.
There are quite a few surprises throughout the film that I never saw coming. There are also a few things that just didn’t work for me. After the intermission, when we return to the film, we get a narration by Tarantino explaining a few things. I can understand why this was done, but it felt slapped on, like he was reading it from a book. Another issue was with Channing Tatum, who has a small but crucial role. Tatum is good in a lot of things, but to me he just didn’t fit. Those issues aside, “The Hateful Eight” is still a fantastic film. Sure, I wish I got to see it in 70MM, but thankfully I got to see the full version.
Good news to those of you living here in South Florida. The 70MM Roadshow version will be showing at the AMC Aventura 24, Regal Kendall Village Stadium 16, and the Cinemark Paradise 24. Trust me when I tell you that it is worth driving a little out of your way for the complete experience.
By: Marc Ferman
