Film Review: The Hateful Eight
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What do you do when a filmmaker that has made some very influential films seems to be stuck in a rut? Well there’s not much to do other than be mad and shake your head, much like this reviewer did upon leaving the 70mm Roadshow screening of The Hateful Eight. This film, as presented to us, finds the director at his most self indulgent and lazy, a man more concerned with the appearance of a good film rather than making one.
The Hateful Eight is the story of eight strangers (Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern) whom all end up in the same haberdashery. It’s quickly established that not everyone is who they seem to be and once the double crossing begins, we know not who will survive or what will happen.
Having seen this movie in the method Quentin prefers, I can say without a doubt that this is his laziest script and it is not helped by the method of presentation as The Hateful Eight is a film that needed neither an intermission or an extravagant run time. For a movie that is supposed to be all about shifting alliances, the film does little in the way of maintaining, or in fact, drumming up any tension. All of the build up is sucked away by chapter breaks, lazy character speeches, and violence against Domergue, and this is before you are hit with a (previously non existent) narrator’s voice over and a mind-boggling flashback that blandly spells out everything (and also contains a terrible cameo and performance from an actor I love). Quentin is a two time Oscar winner for Original Screenplay, so surely he, of all people, could have come up with some more dramatically interesting stuff for this actors to do and say? (never mind his unnecessarily rampant use of nigger and his gender politics) Instead of being more clever, the movie opts for violence, which is gratuitous and constantly feels like it belongs in a different film.
Also, much will be made of the super wide screen projection and for someone who loves wide screen, it was a nice thing to see Tarantino use this. However, this ratio quickly becomes a saddle to the film as he can’t come up with enough interesting shots and blocking to make use of the wide space. Everything feels so static and staged, and if the visuals aren’t helping and the dialogue is only barely funny at times, what can you possibly get out of this film?
The only saving grace and I mean only saving graces for me with this film were the performances of Samuel L. Jackson and Walton Goggins. These two men, who admittedly got the best of the material, tear into each of their characters with relish. Unlike the other men (and woman) in the ensemble, these two men get and create 3D characterizations that rise far above the scripts limitations and the over the top finale. Helping them keep our eyes from glazing over is Ennio Morricone, whose horror-esque score was a wonder to hear. He tried him damnedest to keep the film afloat and build the tension, and at least aurally it worked.
But it all comes back to Quentin Tarantino and his vision for the film which fails on nearly every level. One hopes that this is jut a quick bump in the road (no director has a 100% awesome filmography) but the sign of strain are there.
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