The Hateful Eight

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Parks, Zoe Bell, Channing Tatum
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Rating: R
Genre: Western, Drama
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary: A bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) and his captive (Jennifer Jason Leigh) get snowed in at an isolated cabin filled with dangerous men.

Review:

Tim: I have to say that I'm probably not the biggest Quentin Tarantino fan. Of course, I do respect his talent and appreciate many of his films. He's made some very good films. However, I'm not one of these people who fawn over everything he does. He's made 1 great movie (Pulp Fiction), a bunch of very good movies, and a couple of overrated films that aren't very good at all. He's always been a slightly above average director who gets too much credit, in my mind. The Hateful Eight didn't get quite as much critic love as many of his films, but it was still nominated for 3 Academy Awards and won 1. Make no mistake, this is a good movie- but that's all it is.

Tarantino's second Western in a row has some very good qualities to it. I love the basic idea of the story- that a couple of bounty hunters and a woman sentenced to die find themselves snowed in at a cabin filled with mysterious, deadly characters. The forced confinement creates this tension filled situation with a bunch of characters who would never want to interact with each other. There's a few layers of mystery involved, which keeps the audience guessing. I never felt bored because the script has enough meat to it and enough intrigue that you're always watching for what's going to happen next. Tarantino is a very good writer and that translates to the screen.

He's also very strong at crafting morally ambiguous characters and providing his actors with meaty, memorable roles. That's always been the best reason to see one of his movies- because you know the cast is going to have a lot to work with and Tarantino will get strong performances from them. That's true again here. His frequent collaborator, Samuel L. Jackson is good as former military officer turned bounty hunter. He's really our surrogate into this crazy group of people. Jackson has enough talent and experience with Tarantino to know what he needs to do. His performance was a solid one. Kurt Russell is wonderful as another bounty hunter. The guy really is a talented actor and he was able to put that on display here. I love how Tarantino leverages Russell's strengths. He was certainly a highlight of the film. As good as Jackson and Russell are, though, Jennifer Jason Leigh steals nearly every scene she's in. She is the captive meant to be hung and she gives this despicable, dirty, in-your-face performance. It's truly remarkable to see. She takes a lot of punishment- whether that's being elbowed in the nose or verbally abused, this role required a lot of physical work. She's menacing and unhinged in her role and she emerges as the most unforgettable part of the film. I was glad she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress- she's great in this film.

The supporting cast gets a lot to do, too. I really like Walton Goggins for some reason and he delivers a strong supporting turn here. He just brings this interesting energy to any role he plays. This movie is better because of him. Demian Bichir was fine. I enjoyed Tim Roth and it was fun to see Michael Madsen, although he really doesn't have as much to do as I would have liked. Bruce Dern adds a very strong supporting role and made an impact on the film. There was no reason to include Channing Tatum, but whatever. As a whole, the cast is very strong, as you would expect from a Tarantino film.

Now, while there are some real strengths- the dialogue crackles as you would expect. The cinematography is exceptional (the film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography), there are some drawbacks, too. Tarantino has his own proclivities that aren't always the best. For example, the use of the "N" word is rampant in this film. Now, to some extent, I get it- he's trying to be true to the racist time period the film is set. However, it just got to be a little much. There might have been some necessity to include it, but it goes beyond that. It's obvious Tarantino likes to frequently use that word to shock the audience and it was certainly not necessary. There's also an odd scene between Jackson and Dern that felt unnecessarily graphic. It didn't add as much to the film as Tarantino believed it would. It was unnecessary and a bit juvenile, which Tarantino often lapses into. The scene with the poison was a little much, but that's par for the course for this director. I didn't hate it, although we certainly didn't need that much blood. You would expect a film like this to be gory, bloody, and violent, and you won't be disappointed.

The Hateful Eight is absolutely a good movie. Tarantino is an experienced, talented director and he was able to deliver a strong film. However, this film is a far cry from his best films. I don't think it is as good as his last film, Django Unchained. It doesn't feel like he is getting better as a director, he's not fully leveraging the full scope of his talent. I didn't love this movie, but I did like it- and that's not a bad thing at all.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Django Unchained, Grindhouse: Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds