Review of The Hateful Eight (2015) by Paul F — 03 Sep 2016

Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, and Django Unchained. These are just a few of the many well-known films helmed by Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino has come to be known for many trademarks that stand out in his films: long scenes filled with tension, talented acting, memorable characters, and, of course, ridiculous (and sometimes hilarious) violence.

With The Hateful Eight, he continues to showcase all of these trademarks, albeit not as smoothly as he has done in the past. In The Hateful Eight, we are introduced gradually to eight main characters taking shelter in a cabin in the midst of a huge blizzard.

The film focuses on three of these eight characters, played by Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell, two Tarantino veterans, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Each of the characters is unique and memorable in their own ways, and they are played with earnest gusto.

The opening act of the film focuses more heavily on these three, resulting in a much heavier emphasis on character building and dialogue and a much lighter load of action. The lack of action isn't inherently a bad thing, but this continues into the second act with the introduction of the remaining characters, and the conversation-filled and tension-filled scenes start to grow tiring after so long.

In any case, however, the tension and excellent development of characters sets up for the explosive third act nicely, and this third act is where Tarantino's experience in the filmmaking industry really shines.

With this part of the film, his famous bloody action finally arrives gloriously, but also a little abruptly. But it's here where his blend of tension, humor, and violence really works, and it's here where, predictably, characters start to die.

Admittedly, the Clue-style mystery that the second act had begun to set up is solved more quickly than I would have hoped for in these scenes, and the violence is a little jarring at times, but in the end, the third act is much more satisfying and wraps up the movie solidly.

So, The Hateful Eight is definitely not the best of Tarantino's seasoned career, but it certainly isn't one I'll be forgetting any time soon. Despite a few flaws, the film is still another solid addition his filmography.