The Hateful Eight

I can't help but get excited every time a new Quentin Tarantino film is released. He manages to spin such wonderful and wild tales populated by colorful characters and magnificent dialogue. With his latest film, The Hateful Eight, Tarantino makes his second Western and films it in a long thought gone format of Ultra Panavision 70. The last film that used this format was made in 1966. What he does with the format is a work of a master filmmaker. 

A lone stagecoach is making it's way through the snow swept Wyoming plains trying to beat an oncoming blizzard. The coach makes a sudden stop when a man appears in the middle of the road, sitting atop three dead bodies and a saddle. The man is Major Marquis Warren (played by Samuel L. Jackson), a former Union soldier and current bounty hunter. The three men are his latest captures. The occupant of the stagecoach is John Ruth (played by Kurt Russell), another bounty hunter accompanying Daisy Domergue (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) to Red Rock to hang for her crimes. Since the two know each other, John begrudgingly allows Warren to join them. Along the way they pick up another man out in the wild, Chris Mannix (played by Walton Goggins), who claims to be on his way to Red Rock as he is their new Sheriff. Neither man believes him but allows him to board the coach as well, just in case he might be telling the truth. All four of them, as well as the stagecoach driver, OB (played by James Parks), seek shelter at a frontier outpost known as Minnie's Haberdashery.   

Upon their arrival, something about the place seems off. Minnie and her associate Sweet Dave are both missing and the place has been left in the care of a man known as Mexican Bob (played by Demian Bichir). Among the others there are Sandy Smithers (played by Bruce Dern), an old Confederate general, as well as Oswaldo Mobray (played by Tim Roth), a professional hangman. Hiding in the corner is Joe Gage (played by Michael Madsen), who is trying to get home for Christmas, or at least that's what he says. Both John and Warren know something is not right there but find themselves unsure of who to trust. With a blizzard bearing down on them and nowhere to go, each of them tries to figure out who these other men are to see if there is someone there who may be in cahoots with Daisy waiting for their moment to pounce and set her free. 

There is so much that I loved about this movie. Quentin Tarantino once again does what he does best, which is craft a tale that so completely relishes in being unpredictable, but yet completely works. This film gets a group of characters together in an isolated place, each with their own colorful flourishes and cuts them loose on one another. There is a strong mystery aspect to this film as Wallace and John try to figure out if everyone is who they say they are. The tension is slowly ratcheted up as the blizzard outside grows worse and the sun begins to set. As it does, the mounting dread begins to rise as it begins to become clear that something very bad is about to go down at Minnie's Haberdashery, but the question remains how and from where it is coming.   

I also need to mention the cinematography of this movie as it is rather impressive. Just the decision to shoot it in Ultra 70 Panavision, which gives the film a frame 2.76 times wider than it is tall, on a film that largely takes place indoors is a wonder to behold. But what Tarantino and his Director of Photography Robert Richardson do with that frame is magnificent. Whether it is capturing the snow swept mountain passages at the beginning of the film or the intense moments in the cabin, every square inch of the frame is used. It's a gorgeous film and incredibly well shot, making me wish more films were shot like this. Although, perhaps if they were something like this would be less special.

The film has a fantastic cast as well with each of them turning in wonderful performances. Kurt Russell leads the group as John Ruth, who at times seems to be channeling a nastier John Wayne. It's nice to see Tim Roth make a return to the Tarantino-verse, having not made an appearance since Pulp Fiction (unless of course you count the anthology film Four Rooms). Likewise, it's nice to see Jennifer Jason Leigh on the big screen again, playing the truly despicable Daisy Domergue. Samuel L. Jackson is once again in badass Samuel L Jackson mode and that is just fine with me. He gives another suitably electric performance in this film. The real surprise for me though was Walton Goggins as Chris Mannix. He gives a charming performance, playing up the mystery of his character perfectly. He claims to be the new sheriff of Red Rock, but at the same time you're not sure if you can trust him or not. Goggins plays the part wonderfully.

I also have to give a tip of the hat to the music in the film. The score is composed by the legendary composer Ennio Morricone. He wrote over an hour of new music for the film. They also used three tracks that Morricone had written for John Carpenter's The Thing, but were never used in that film. They fit in perfectly in this film though, which makes sense as this film has some strong thematic similarities with that sci-fi horror classic. He also uses The White Stripes' "Apple Blossom" and Roy Orbison's "There Won't Be Many Coming Home" because it wouldn't be a Tarantino movie without some anachronistic flourishes. I don't know, but the sight of a Stagecoach racing down a country road to the strains of The White Stripes just works, even though it shouldn't.  

Now, I'm the first to admit that Tarantino's films are not for everyone. It fits comfortably among his other films with a larger than life sensibility and it is quite violent as well. But for those who have enjoyed his other films, as well as an appreciation of classic film styles. With a hearty mixture of themes and blended genres, and mounting tensions as well as a fantastic isolated location just makes for fantastic viewing. In the end, it's all about these eight characters in one location and the sparks that fly between them. It's a fantastic, thrilling and intense film that certainly blew me away.