The Hateful Eight - Review
This review of The Hateful Eight is spoiler-free!
Quentin Tarantino is a masterful film maker by any standard. With films like Reservoir Dogs, Django Unchained, Inglorious Bastards, and Pulp Fiction, he manages to create interesting worlds for viewers to immerse themselves in. His latest film, being The Hateful Eight, manages to create a story solely focused on character development and overall depth. With actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, and Channing Tatum at the head, it surely had enough star power to command attention for even the most casual film fans. So, does The Hateful Eight hit the same levels of success that Tarantino's other films did, or is a low point in the career of one of the best directors of our time?
The story of The Hateful Eight is about takes place shortly after the Civil War, and throughout the winter landscape of Wyoming. Here, we are quickly introduced to a few of our main characters in John Ruth, Daisy Domergue, and Major Marquis Warren. John Ruth has captured Domergue and plans to have her hanged in the nearby town of Red Rock and receive the 10000 dollar reward for her. Warren comes aboard their stagecoach in an act of goodwill by Ruth due to the harsh winters. After a time, they happen upon Chris Mannix who is supposedly destined to be the new sheriff of Red Rock. After they are sidetracked by the storm, they find themselves at Minnie's Habadashery with a group of other men who are rather interesting and suspicious in their own way. The Hateful Eight's story was absolutely thrilling. This film places people in one set location and with a film of this length, its absolutely incredible that it can go for as long as it does as still be interesting.
Being that this film is all about charcater, I believe it's time we talk about some of them! Lets start at hte beginning, with the very first two characters the film brings to us: John Ruth and Daisy Domergue. Kurt Russell's portrayal of Ruth is stellar, but frighteningly truthful when thought up. With it being the 1870s, racism is still abound so his conversations with the Major (and everyone else's for that matter) are extremely vulgar. It fits the time, but it's always something that needs to be accepted by the audience. Russell plays Ruth with a harsh cockiness and a bit of fright because of those around him and i loved it. Domergue is another beast entirely. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Daisy with a bit of backwoods and red neck nature. She's a character you're supposed to hate and believe me did I hate her. Whether that be a success for her portrayal or more of a way the character is written, it worked for me.
For me though, there's two more characters that I need to mention and discuss, as if I spoke about all eight members of the eight, it could result in a few plot spoilers. The next character is someone I've mentioned in passing in the previous few sections: Samuel L. Jackson's Major Marquis Warren. It goes without saying that Jackson has become an actor with a rather cult following even if his performances are well done. Warren is arguably the most honorable man of the group in this film, but he can't prove that being that he is of a black descent which is despised. Jackson's portrayal fits this character as he feeds the anger under the surface that Warren has, and also shows that he can mess with the minds of those around him for his own benefit. The final character that should be discussed is Chris Mannix, the would-be sheriff of Red Rock. Whether he could be trusted or not, Walton Goggins manages to portray him with every bit of confidence he needs. He's a man of honor but also of a bad upbringing that leads him to doubt those around him and their intentions. Truthfully, there isn't really a bad portrayal in the entire film.
The Hateful Eight is a long film by any standards, but manages to take that long runtime and creating a thrilling tale of mischief and villainy that anyone can enjoy. Taking place in one room essentially, the story is broken up into chapters, resulting in a few periods that allow the viewer to break from the film and process. This is an excellent decision for the film and I praise Tarantino for doing it, as otherwise it may have grown a bit tiresome. As I mentioned, it's a testament to the quality of actor and director that making a story that takes place purely off of character development is so easy. Tarantino is one of Hollywood's best, and The Hateful Eight calls to be watched even by the most casual of moviegoers.
