Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Of course!
Should you buy the DVD? If you collect Quentin Tarantino films.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 168 minutes (~2.75 hours)
“The Hateful Eight” is Western mystery film. It centres around the intrigue at an inn after eight individuals find themselves trapped there during a blizzard. It stars Samuel L. Jackson (Marquis Warren, The Bounty Hunter), Kurt Russell (John Ruth, The Hangman), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Daisy Domergue, The Prisoner), Walton Goggins (Chris Mannix, The Sheriff), Demián Bichir (Bob, The Mexican), Tim Roth (Oswaldo Mobray, The Little Man), Michael Madsen (Joe Gage, The Cow Puncher), Bruce Dern (Sandy Smithers, The Confederate), James Parks (O.B. Jackson), and Channing Tatum (Jody Domergue). It is rated R-21.
“The Hateful Eight” is, like most Quentin Tarantino films, a movie that you’ll either hate or love. It’s a film of extremes, but that’s where the appeal lies. Regardless of whether you see it as highly stylised or incredibly outlandish, it’s still objectively a great film, both in a visual and narrative sense, and toes the fine line between the unorthodox and the pretentious. It’s best experienced in cinemas, more so than other movies, or if you’ve got the DVD, in a home theatre, to appreciate the quality of the picture.
Highlights
Beautiful set design and props
Not only are the sets interesting and well thought-out, but every significant prop has a purpose to play in the story. That’s no mean feat, given that some of the most inconsequential items that look like set dressing are actually critical to the story. They convey the colonial era of the film, and are enjoyably larger than life without being over the top.
Nice touches of humour
It may be dark humour, but carefully inserted quips and contemporary reactions serve to break the everpresent tension, giving us space to breathe in between all that intensity. This prevents monotony and saturation of the powerful emotional clashes. It also adds a human touch to characters that would otherwise just be icons, rather than actual people.
Memorable score
The music has a decidedly Western feel to it, yet doesn’t feel dated. In fact, it feels like it was composed with modern sensibilities in mind, applied to the tunes of old Westerns. This approach, coupled with the evocative melodies during key scenes, creates a soundtrack that you’ll remember long after you’ve left the cinema.
Stylised gore
It’s R-21, so you can expect copious blood and violence. But as with all the other directorial decisions, the gore has a consistent style that serves a thematic purpose in the story, and serves as a visceral reminder of the pain of the characters. And because it’s a Western, all that grit fits in perfectly with the setting.
Interesting non-linear story
The storytelling, as with the props, leaves us with no superfluous elements. Minor details or inconsistencies that you might have waved away actually have a significant bearing on the story, and the sequence of events elevates the dramatic beats of the tale. Strong reveals add to the motivations of the characters, fleshing out their reasons for being at the inn on this particular stormy night.
Letdowns
Plot is not clear at times
Unfortunately, thanks to the storytelling style, the plot can get confusing at times, especially at the beginning. The large number of characters, coupled with what seems to be a formless plot, leaves Act One meandering at times. Fortunately, this picks up as the story goes on, and all those mysteries are cleared up by the film’s end.
“The Hateful Eight” is an impressive visual spectacle. Its individual cinematic elements are already splendid enough on their own, but the true magic happens when they combine into “The Hateful Eight.”
“The Hateful Eight” opens in cinemas 21 January, 2016 (Thursday).
This review was first published on Yahoo.
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