The Hateful Eight Review - A Tarantino Classic with Bad Guys, Big Guns, A Big Blizzard and Twisted Sick Humor

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Category: Film

Published on Wednesday, 23 December 2015 10:41

Written by Janet Walker

The Hateful Eight, from The Weinstein Company, presents pure unadulterated, undiluted Quentin Tarantino and his savage, untamed rendition of the Wild, Wild West complete with bad guys, big guns, bounty hunters and a hellacious blizzard.

Quentin Tarantino's eighth film is as audacious as his first. The Hateful Eight, written and directed by Tarantino, stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, Channing Tatum; Walton Goggins, Michael Madsen, James Parks, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir, Zoe Bell, Dana Gourrier, Belinda Owen, Gene Jones, Bruce Del Castillo and Keith Jefferson.

Flying into movie history with Pulp Fiction Tarantino continues on his raucous, gritty, unrestrained and uncultivated interpretation of the post-civil war Wyoming. His usual cast of players most recognizable from Reservoir Dogs, plus and minus a couple, round out this films bloody players.

The Hateful Eight begins with an overture, a reflection of the movie experience of yesteryear, and includes a three minute musical introduction, in actuality a signal for any latecomers to get thyself a seat as the movie is about to begin and The Hateful Eight also contains a 12 minute intermission.

The film fills the screen, a vast expanse of winter white, a brewing blizzard, a stage and bounty hunters on the way to cash in on their payload. The stagecoach, slows to a stop with Major Marquis Warren, played by Samuel L. Jackson, stopping the mysterious traveler with his need for assistance.

Considering one can never be too cautious, especially as bounty is often paid either dead or alive so the bounty hunter always carries a cash payout, either dead or alive, and must protect himself against other bounty hunters who may decide on a winner take all duel.

On this day, with a bad ass storm brewing high in the mountains, Major Warren is obliging the unknown stranger, who is finally revealed as the infamous John Ruth, played by Kurt Russell, a credit to these parts as one of the most ruthless bounty hunters to have lived.

In his possession today is the equally infamous Daisy Domergue, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. If women were to rule, Daisy and her gang, headed up by her brother, Jody whom we don’t meet for some time, played by Channing Tatum, and would be one to fear.

She is one her way to meet the hangman and John Ruth is just the man who will get her there, alive.

Soon Major Warren and his dead bounty, John Ruth, and his bounty Daisy, are headed to the midway point in their journey, Minnie’s Haberdashery, well known in these parts as Minnie makes a delicious stew, offers a place to sleep, escape from the cold, feed and rest for the horses.

Along the way another stranger comes upon their Stagecoach, Sheriff Chris Mannix, played by Walton Goggins, who also happens to incorporate into his character a vein of the village idiot who got elected Sheriff. Getting more paranoid with each stop, John Ruth goes through his security check, and soon the stage, now full with four, is headed to the haberdashery.

Arriving in blizzard white out conditions, hurricane force whipping winds, swirling snow, the Major offers to help Bob, a handyman and Mexican horseman, unharness, feed and stall the horses, who initially turns him down, which doesn’t go unnoticed by the colored Major.

So around the fire and the warm, well-cooked, pot of stew are a group of travelers: General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), Oswaldo “The Hangman” Mobray, (Tim Roth), Bob our Mexican Horseman, John Ruth, Major Warren, Sheriff Chris Mannix, O.B. (James Parks) the best skilled six horse driver in the west, and our bounty Daisy Domergue.

Taking shelter from the storm and realizing it might be a day or two wait, a sort of game of Clue begins as Major Warren who has known Minnie, played by Dana Gourrier, the longest, and knows her ways and habits along with Sweet Dave who we meet in the second act played by Gene Jones, begins to whittle away at these strangers until, one by one, in classic Tarantino style each are exposed.

On the path to these revelations, expect the unexpected which includes plenty of violence and our Daisy both gives and receives. As law is limited in in the presence of a yet deputized Sheriff prisoners are reduced to property and best to keep them in line.

Tarantino in creating his masterpiece remained faithful to the idea of the western of the bygone era. The Hateful Eight contains chapter headings and in a tribute to silent films, those headings separate the scenes and appear on the black screen in white typeface.

As it is Tarantino it is what we would expect from a Tarantino film, blood, guts, and gun violence. Not as gratuitous as other modern films, The Hateful Eight is a western, so guns a natural source of protection and acceptable.

Tarantino stamps his brand on this film and adds his twisted, sick, humor. 

Robert Richardson, a longtime Tarantino collaborator with again joins him as the Director of Photographer. Shot in 70mm Panavision, the film is this magical experience of vast sceneries, cinematography of yesteryear.

Expect plenty of verbal reaction as the six gun shooters aim to kill, not maim and bloody splatter and brain matter fly. The Hateful Eight presents a gritty, realistic, authentic version with blood, guts and gore. Tarantino again delivers filmmaking perfection.

The Motion Picture Association of America, the MPAA, has given The Hateful Eight an R rating and tagged it with strong bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language and some graphic nudity. As the penis seems to be making many film appearances as of late, full frontal being the final frontier in film, expect Tarantino to make the most of it.

The Hateful Eight, a realistic badass western, opens Christmas Day!