Review of The Hateful Eight (2015) by Patrick K — 21 May 2017

This is second time I watched "The Hateful Eight." It's been a little over a year since my first viewing. I was curious if my reaction would be similar to my follow-up screenings of all the other Quentin Tarantino films. I was not disappointed. "The Hateful Eight" is indeed fine wine. I appreciated everything more this second time through: cinematography, dialogue, ensemble acting, music ... you name it, I liked it more than a year ago. I have a crummy memory for plot details, which hurt me in literature classes but is a boon when it comes to repeat viewings of cult-favorite movies. After only one year, up to ninety percent of plot details disappear from my memory, enabling me to enjoy second-viewings more than most people. How can I watch a film, say, for the sixth time and still find new stuff? It's easy if the director is Q.T. or the Coen Brothers or Wes Anderson. They pack so much cool stuff into their work, you can never get it all the first time ... or the second time, etc.

A common thread through all Tarantino movies is the perceived level of violence. When I sit through his films for the second time, my reaction always is: "This isn't as repugnant as I remember. In fact, the violent scenes aren't really repugnant at all. They are more balletic or operatic than anything else." (Mind you, this reaction comes from a wimp with a way-below-average tolerance for onscreen violence.) Through flash cuts and off-camera action and brilliant sound effects, Q.T. always tricks the viewer into thinking he is seeing more violence than is really there.

I am already looking forward to my next sit-down with "The Hateful Eight" and am wondering what additional delights I will uncover. I shudder to think of what the landscape of our present world of film would be if Quentin Tarantino had decided to be a novelist or an insurance salesman rather than our most cutting-edge director since Orson Welles. Bless him. Gives us more films, Q.T. Don't retire just yet. We beg you.