The Hateful Eight (2015) Review

John Ruth a bounty hunter who is travelling across Wyoming in the winter with a prisoner Daisy Domergue is about to have a very strange day after picking up two strangers and getting caught in a blizzard having to then spend the night with some more strange characters in a cabin.

I have no idea where to start with this review, but I guess saying how much I got into the film is a good way to go. After the whole saga of Cineworld not showing the film and then having to figure out what my next best option would be I decided on an Odeon cinema and that is an impressive set up in all honesty which leads me more to thinking that my local Cineworld is in massive need for a revamp so outdated its unreal, this makes me sad. So very comfy seats were essential for a 3 hour film in all honesty, the best thing I can add about the running time is that it doesn’t feel that long at all.

From the opening sequence with the music playing and the panning shots of the snow-covered mountains I was lost right away, that was before we even got to see any of the characters. Now that is not something I was expecting at all, I went into the film with a very open mind as I have a very hit miss relationship with Tarantino, his films are always different though so you have to give him that he puts a hell of a lot of effort into them. You know they are going to be very dialogue heavy which is something that I have massively enjoyed over the past few months, this film probably came out at the right time then for me.

It builds up the characters in a very fascinating way they all have a story of something that has just happened, they have a past and might just have heard of each other. But who can trust who and is everyone actually the person they claim to be? Well that is certainly something that happens over and over again. It’s brilliant as when your watching you then have doubt over who’s telling the truth and if any of them actually knew each other before being in that cabin. Something Tarantino does very well is character development and making you get to know a lot about them.

The flow is very good and I will admit that some of the actions actually made me laugh a lot probably when you shouldn’t really laugh. It wasn’t as gory as I expected it to be, still obviously hits the point of no return but again once it reaches that stage you know none of the characters are safe but still cannot judge what it going to happen next, surely that is just perfect filmmaking? I would certainly say so. It could well be what the adverts have claimed and it is Tarantino’s masterpiece (I still have a few films to catch up with to be able to decide myself on that).

The songs and music throughout the film really add to the tension and set things up very nicely for each scene, especially when you add in a piano and guitar as well to really keep things interesting. The cabin scenes are so engaging as so many things are happening in one shot, you see the characters just doing things in the background that may not actually relate massively to the story but give it a real feeling (hope that makes sense). The exchanges as we find out a little bit more about each of the characters is very good as well, we don’t get too much all at once and the film is split into different chapters.

Performance wise is very strong all round but the standouts have to be Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Both incredible, Jackson holds everything together and really owns it every time he is on-screen. I doubt he will get enough credit for his performance as everyone thinks they know all about him but he really blew me away and took it to another level in this one! Leigh was amazing and had to deal with well a lot don’t want to spoil anything. I also have to give credit for her look in the film as when I actually checked to see what other films I had seen her in I did not believe it was really her as Daisy! Channing Tatum in a very small role actually shows he can do something good and Kurt Russell was very engaging. Walton Hoggins really grew into his character from start to finish as I wasn’t too sure about him to begin with, but he certainly improved as the story went on.

Well done to the cast for a truly engaging film and to Quentin who may have just won be back over big time with this one! Please make an extra effort to see this on the big screen (didn’t have 70mm where I saw it, only two screens in the whole of the UK able to screen it that way).