The Hateful Eight

This is a fine piece of storytelling - a mystery, western, and political drama - all artfully melded together by a seasoned crew and talented actors.

The action is set in antebellum Wyoming, in the heart of a raging blizzard, in a frontier bar. Setting is very important here.

The period is meaningful for the political currents that flow in nearly all the characters. Feelings about the American civil war are very up-front, with complicit atrocity present in nearly all the characters. The war brought out horrible things in these people, and we see how they deal with that shared knowledge, both personally and to each other.

The blizzard provides the necessary isolation to the story. These characters are stuck with each other, and this forced closeness is central to the story - they're all Hateful, and that hate reverberates among them, destroying peace and hope. Hate is what brings them together and hate is what tears them apart. The blizzard also provides some interesting incidental elements that are fascinating to watch, like the hardship of a simple task like preparing guidelines, or going to the outhouse, and the cold hell explodes inward at times (when the door is opened) with punctuating effect, providing some breaks to the narrative, and even some needed laughs.

And the bar... This film's action takes place primarily in one large room. It feels very much like a stage play (as another reviewer mentioned), allowing greater intimacy with the characters and their interactions, while providing us with an opportunity to witness multiple scenarios unfolding at the same time. This density of action is very cool. We are afforded third person omniscience without losing connection with the motives and perspectives of the players.

And the stage setting meshes very integrally with the acting. We see the principal actors doing top-notch with not only their primary motivational actions, but nearly every choice in blocking and busy action. The director and production team make a very wise choice in showing the small little details of what's going on here. Attention is paid to realistic procedural actions, and reactions, for these details. The result is that we see characters behaving in reasonable ways to their environments, pausing to disarm a stranger, or undo a shackle, not simply because the plot calls for it, but because it's a reasonable choice that they would make at the time. Very refreshing to see, actually.

On the negative side, Tarrantino's choice to use narration was weakly executed. I don't know if there would have been a way to do this without narration, but the actual usage detracted from the ongoing story. Also, there were a few points in the action where the characters seemed to be a little too accepting of the events that transpire around them. This is purely a fault of direction/writing.

But overall, a very watchable film, that is notably unafraid to portray some very dirty and uncomfortable bits of the human psyche. Some folks seem to have an issue with this last part. My advice to them is to loosen up a bit and accept art that hurts a little. That's one of the things good art can do.

The film is too well crafted to get the really low scores, the cinematography is too good, the acting too high caliber, the direction too solid, the score too nice, and the flick too engaging for such ratings.

This also applies to the other end. The "twists" are unimportant and add no spice, the pacing just slogs along, the joy too nonexistent, the characters evoke too little emotion either way, the story too light on satisfaction, the story telling too inconsistent, the length too needless,the magic (other than on the technical side) too absent, and the rewatchability too minimal for me to see greatness but maybe a second viewing will change my perspective but it will definitely be on video for me, only the lure of a hot date fixated on going could get me into the theater again other than maybe just for the experience a 70mm screening.

I'm a pretty avid Tarrentino fan but I didn't overly enjoy this effort. I more appreciate it and can't say I wasn't engaged but I also can't say that I'm eager to see it again and worse for the first time I have little inclination to do so with a flick by Q.

A generous 7/10 (rounding up from 6.5) for me but I could see ceiling of 8 and a basement of 4 at the lowest.

You Guys Need To Watch This Masterpiece.

There are too much dialogue and slow movie but after the first half you will enjoy the movie. Kurt And Jackson's Oscar Worthy Performance 🔥

Some kind of uniqueness in every dialogue such a brilliant piece of work.

Thanks Quentin. Looking Forward For Your Next Movie.

OK - if you've already seen the movie and hated it, my review won't change your mind, so move along folks, move along, there's nothing to see for you here, thanks.

Now for you, dear film fan, who is about to watch 'The Hateful Eight', but who is now slightly worried because of some very mixed critical reactions - for YOU I'm writing this 100% spoiler-free review.

Judging from many comments here on IMDb and other forums, I gather that many long-time Tarantino fans apparently don't like his newest film. I had feared such a reaction as soon as I had finished watching the movie. It's obviously Tarantino's least accessible effort yet, and there's a number of reasons for that, not the least of which being that this is simply not the film most people expected (or felt they were promised). So if you haven't seen it yet and you're a bit doubtful because of the negative reviews, let me tell you: you'll likely end up loving it - as I did - IF you prepare yourself juuuust a little. And because I really liked the movie, I would like to help you do that via a short list of recommendations. Ready? Here it goes:

1. Don't go watch 'The Hateful Eight' expecting a "classic" Western. It might belong to the Western genre, but if all that talk about Ultra 70mm Panavision had you thinking of lush outdoor scenery, vast landscapes or anything resembling a Sergio Leone movie, you'll end up disappointed. There are a few nice shots showing snowy mountains, but 95% (perhaps more) of the story unfolds indoors (in one single room) - which isn't to say that the cinematography isn't absolutely fantastic. In fact, it's more than fantastic: it's stunning and worthy of an Oscar.

2. Don't expect any exciting "action" scenes (for lack of a better word: I don't mean the 'Fast & Furious' kind of action scenes) every 10 minutes or so; in fact, don't expect anything other to happen between the characters than dialog for a loooooong time. Unlike in Tarantino's previous films where we got almost "spoiled" by unexpected over-the-top moments in nearly every scene (except maybe for 'Jackie Brown' and 'Deathprooof'), this film has a very, very slow build. But: that's not to say it ISN'T exciting (or that nothing does happen) - it's just that the excitement and tension result mainly from the dialog and the excellent performances by the cast (at least for roughly two thirds of the movie).

3. Best approach this film as you would theater; for that's what 'The Hateful Eight' really is: a stage play disguised as a movie. A stage play of a "Who-Done-It" murder mystery with a touch of Agatha Christie. But then again, that's also a disguise, for the murder mystery is just a ploy to cast a look at a torn society rife with racial tension after the civil war. Which, of course, again serves as an allegory for race relations in modern-day America and as the director's angry commentary on how hateful that situation still is today, on all sides. Now that sounds awfully serious, but don't worry; despite some hard-to-stomach ugliness and the highly political undercurrent, there is plenty of Tarantino's trademark humor throughout the whole film.

4. Don't expect to find a likable character you can root for. There's a reason for the film's title, and unlike in all his previous films, there is not a single person in Tarantino's latest movie you'll feel any real sympathy for. All the main characters have committed despicable, hateful acts, and they're all beyond redemption - but that doesn't mean they're not compelling to watch (especially given THIS cast: everyone is fantastic, but Jackson, Russell, Jason Leigh and Goggins are just a joy to watch).

5. Don't expect a complex plot. In my opinion, among Q.T's films this is the one with the most straight forward and most simple plot to date, yet at the same time it's arguably his most complex - and most ambitious - film.

So, dear film fan, that's it: adhere to these here 5 "commandments", and there's a big chance you'll end up loving Mr. Banana Chin's latest oeuvre as much as I did (mind; you might love the film just as much without taking any of the above advice). I admit, it took me a while to get into this dialog-heavy stage play and would-be Western, but once I did, I never looked back (and I can hardly wait to watch it again). 9 stars out of 10.

Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

I was a bit sceptical about watching the movie, judging by reviews online and some friends who watched it,but in the end I really liked it.The acting was great .The story was very intriguing with the whole "Murder Mystery" theme.Another plus was the score by the one and only Ennio Morricone.The cinematography was also brilliant especialy with all the breathtaking sceneries in the early part.My only promblem was that the violence was a bit too extreme in some parts,but it is a Tarantino movie so this was expected.Overall it was a good movie that I will definately rewatch it.