User reviews

The headline says most of it. Tarantino's use of banal dialogue as a device has long since worn out its luster. Most scenes are painful to watch, because you know what is coming: repetition of banal lines that were never interesting to begin with. The excessive amount of gore adds nothing. Certain segments defy credibility in the interest of exploitation-type effect, e.g. the General Smithers bit. The usual Tarantino craft ensures a degree of quality that lands a 6.

While Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson carry the load, this film just didn't do it for me. It seems like it's just mechanical, and tries too hard to be a Tarantino film. It fails at almost all levels, with over the top blood and gore, along with a script that just didn't seem to flow. I know some people gave it 10/10 and some people said it was a complete dud, but they may be comparing it to his other films. If it's not compared to other Tarantino films it's an average movie, maybe a bit above average. But considering this man made films like Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, and the Kill Bill movies, made me expect more.

It's worth a watch if you have a few hours to kill, but it falls short of expectations.

Great acting by great actors, and interesting characters, but really, its quite slow and uneventful.

I can handle the lack of action, but it feels rather drawn out. If it had been kept about 30 minutes shorter I think it would have been a better movie.

Its not a patch on Reservoir Dogs IMHO, which is basically quite a similar movie in many ways.

During the winter in the Wyoming, a six-horse stagecoach stumbles upon a black man with three corpses that asks for a ride to escape from the blizzard that is coming. The bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell), who is transporting the criminal Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to be hanged in Red Rock town, recognizes the also bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and takes safety precautions before let him go with them. Then they come across Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), who claims to be the Red Rock's new sheriff, and John also allows him to travel with them. They stop at the general stop of Minnie to seek refugee from the blizzard and a Mexican man called Bob (Demián Bichir) tells that he is taking care of the place while Minnie (Dana Gourrier) and her husband are visiting her mother. They meet the Red Rock's hangman Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth); the confederate general Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern) and the cowboy Joe Gage (Michael Madsen) sheltered in the place. The distrustful John Ruth and Marquis take their weapons and there is a tense environment in the store. When the coffee is poisoned killing two guests, the truth of what is happening in the place is disclosed with tragic consequences.

"The Hateful Eight" is a totally overrated film by Quentin Tarantino. The screenplay is well written, but despite the hype and the great cast, the film is too long, developed in slow pace and boring. The characters are non-likable and the conclusion is predictable for a film by Tarantino. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Os Oito Odiados" ("The Hateful Eight")

I expected so much more. There is a beautiful cinematography, nice costumes and a good soundtrack (off course, it's Morricone; though, it is not one of his best). However, the pace is not always the best, the story is kind of meaningless in spite of its surprises and twists, and some disgusting traits as outcomes of Tarantino's sick mind annoyed me very much: lots of crap, misogyny, sadism, and perhaps racism. There is and intention of having stylish characters, but the goal is not fulfilled as in the good spaghetti or contemporary Westerns. The film is not properly bad, but is far from being good as I waited for. It is highly overestimated just because Tarantino was turned into a fashion brand. This simply does not captivate a less biased spectator, besides having the common immoral elements typical from the director's mind.

This movie takes place in one place. Agatha Christie style. The only place, who's to blame? The character is all crazy and interesting. Tarantino demonstrates violence aesthetically. At some point, you can say, "Let's kill his head."

If you're going to minimise the dialogue in the first 30-45 minutes then you need to make sure you have enough to capture the audience/viewer...... This film was for Tarantino, unusually way off. It felt like he wanted a 3hr film from a 2hr script. I feel it could have been so much more than it was.

I don't mind slow movies that build tension or ... something. This one drips. Like a slow leaky faucet you can't turn off or all the way on. Like a horse-drawn carriage in a blizzard, it's going somewhere but taking an unnecessarily long time to get there. Cinematography? Check. Acting? Check. Interesting or dramatic or fun or engaging? Uncheck.

About my reviews: I do not offer a synopsis of the film -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.

My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very Good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A Classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating)

I just got back from seeing "The Hateful Eight" and my head is spinning because it's such a weird movie I'm not sure if it's somewhat good or exceedinly awful. What's sad is that it starts off wonderfully -- I felt myself getting excited by the prospect of Tarantino returning to form for about a half hour -- then keeps getting sillier and sillier until it's nothing but a comedy -- and the comedy is so unsubtle, it might have been made by Mel Brooks or Jerry Lewis on acid.

What's funny is the much touted, rich color of the Panavision stock and the fake cabin interior of "Minnies Haberdashery (not a hat in sight)" makes the film look like the over-saturated movies from the sixties like "Paint Your Wagon" which always looked vaguely fake to me -- a plastic universe cobbled together on a back lot and lit with huge overhead arc lights. Add big splashes of red blood and it started to look like the garish color of some the 60s Disney films, so there was this bizarre set of associations going through my head.

When the finale of the film turns to grand guignol slapstick in these hyper-pumped colors, I felt like I was having a flashback to a bad 60s Dick van Dyke comedy like "Fitzwilly" or "Cold Turkey," and, honestly, I left the theater stunned by the near absurdity of it all. It's as if someone unearthed an awful 60s comedy (Sergio Leone? Hah? That's a laugh) that was buried in the vaults by the studios.

This "love letter to the cinema" is really a love letter to himself, as Tarantino riffs off elements of his own movies like "Reservoir Dogs" and throws in some steals from Paul Thomas Anderson (it almost sounds like Anderson doing the narration. Narration? Where the $%^& did that come from? Wow, talk about the weakest attempt I've ever seen to clue an audience when some sloppy structuring fails the film.)

The dialogue is Tarantino-lite, like a second-rate writer trying to imitate him (Samuel Jackson's goading of Bruce Dern is probably the worst monologue Tarantino has written) and the story is Agatha Christie with a lobotomy. There are some good performances (Kurt Russell is great as John Wayne) and some awful ones (Tim Roth at his over-the- top worst) but the film itself unravels like a spoonful of spaghetti Western. And this isn't a spaghetti Western, it's a pizza and beer comedy. I'm sure it will be a big hit at frat houses across America.

I'm amazed how some people (known critics, as well) even venture to justify the racial undercurrent as social commentary. Tarantino has never written symbolically or allegorically. He writes character, and that's that. "The Hateful Eight" is a "political statement" in the same way that "I Spit on Your Grave" is an indictment of contemporary religion. Please.

How do I sum this movie up in one word? Well, the one that comes to the top of my head right now is: "Goofy." Maybe those big Panavision camera got to Tarantino because he subconsciously started to think he was making a bloody version of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."

I need to have a drink. At this rate, I have to say "thank god there's only two more to go."

The film seems so in love with itself. There are many repetitive jokes, and mostly of the overly vulgar variety, just for the sake of repulsiveness alone it seems. Some parts of the film are delivered with purposely slow development, overly slow in fact. Some of the characters are quite boring and so are many of the scenarios. It almost seemed like this was Tarantino's spoiled brat movie, him basically saying a great big, "F.U., I can do whatever I want now" to the mainstream audiences that have actually made him a very rich man over the years. And so he can! In that way, the film really made me laugh, as I know many people in the theatre were repulsed by it, and I think I'm not the only one laughing about this, Tarantino definitely is too. However, overall it's a very simple and somewhat dull plot making this one of Tarantino's worst efforts yet in my view, (To me only Death Proof was worse.). I did enjoy the film to some degree for sure, but it's not a film I'd bother to watch again. It is after all quite hard to dispute that this is a very long and fairly dumb film, with little to no point at all except to repulse some prudes, (And that's really the best it can offer.). If you know some uptight prudes you'd like to rile up, recommend them this one for sure, lmao! 6.5/10

When you hear the name Tarantino in our modern era of cinema, you expect greatness. The man has turned out some of the most iconic and memorable movies in our time but this time he was in my opinion why in over his head. Hateful Eight is an entertaining movie from start to finish carried by the actors and performances, but if dose hadn't been good, the movie wouldn't have a lot to it. It´s a movie without much plot and substance to it and asking for 3 hours of that is a lot.

In a cabin, trapped in a snowstorm, 9 people most survive together. There is a lot of tensions, and someone might not be who they say they are.

What drives this movie is Tarantinos amazing dialogue. If a lesser writer had written this movie, it would not have been worth your time. The dialogue is so fun and creates great this tension between characters. The way the different characters feel distinct by their mannerisms and the way their different backgrounds are told are so well done.

This is also carried by the amazing performances here. Every single actor gives it their all and really disappear into their role and without them giving their all, this movie would, again, be much lesser than it is. The standout is of course Samuel L. Jackson as Marquis Warren. Giving a commanding and room felling performance.

The costume and set design are also great. The different characters also feel distinct by their wardrobe and all the different costumes look great. Same with the set of the cabin, it feels so well designed and detailed. There are so many things in the background, and it feels lived in and not like a set.

The camerawork is also incredible. Using a what seems to be a wide lens. Tarantino creates these long frames, reminiscence of old cowboy movies. It creates some really creative and cool looking frames throughout. Although there was a thing in the last chapter I didn't like. It was a frame where the front- and background was in focus while something was unfocused. That annoyed my eyes.

The movie also isn't as quirky as other Tarantino movies so when he does something like narration and especially unnecessary slow-motion, it really sticks out like a sore thumb and took me out of the movie.

But my big problem was the lack of plot and substance. This movie is mostly about characters and relations but not much more. Sure it´s fun and entertaining throughout, but there isn't a lot to the movie. It has a "who done it?" aspect to it, that isn't done perfectly because of who did it. It kind of undermines that genre since the answer is kind of easy expect one aspect that is the big middle twist.

Hateful eight is an entertaining watch throughout but other than that there isn't a lot to it. I think Tarantino wrote himself into a corner, trying to give himself too many challenges and rules to obey by, but ultimately fell flat because he thought characters and dialogue could save the entire movie. The movie just asks too much of its viewers, asking them for 3 hours, with a movie taking it´s time to ultimately nothing that grand.

Massively self-indulgent but the upside is Tarantino's indulgence is at least skillful, so we'll take it. Acting and cinematography are superb. Tarantino, too, adds his own flavor of wokeness which, like Django, straddles the uncertain line between commentary and exploitation trash. If we're offended, we can just dismiss it as another over-the-top ingredient of Tarantino's style. If we love it, then the table-turning has satisfying gore galore.

In the end (which takes FOREVER to get to), the fault is Tarantino's. This is a beautiful gift box with too little inside. It certainly isn't empty, but it's a lot less than you expected. Even by the time the blood starts to spill, you're not shocked, just tired. And we've seen it before. We know the drill. It just took an extra hour to get there this time around. Oh, and not only that, it was better the other times.

The only reason to re-watch Hateful 8 is to count up all the plot holes. The set up is so contrived and Rube Goldberg it beggars belief, even by Tarantino's standards. "But but but if you go back to those old exploitation flicks he's drawing from, they also had a myriad of implausible contrivances." Well, that's true, so does that get him yet another pass? Maybe so, but it's really starting to feel less like a fresh take and more like a crutch.

Hateful 8 is a 5/10 film that becomes a 6/10 or 7/10 depending on how much the acting and gorgeous visuals move you, but make no mistake, it's not a great film and it's one of Tarantino's weakest.

It seemed like Tarantino movies were on the course to the stratosphere. His new movies out performed his already amazing previous movies in creative and brilliant ways. I walked out of Django Unchained saying to myself, it's a treat to be alive as we witness Tarantino continue to do what only he can do. As you can imagine, my expectations were at their all time high for The Hateful Eight.

In my opinion, this movie was missing Tarantino's signature. The dialogue, plot, and acting performances were all missing a level of his style of cleverness. Cleverness is replaced with explainable logic and reason due to previous events in the back-story. Nothing seemed to happen that was not expected. There was no character development, no clear protagonist or antagonist, and no character to identify with or particularly like. The story seemed to unfold mostly in one afternoon, on a mere few dots on a map.

Did I miss something? Maybe I was too distracted by the details and didn't get the social commentary, overall message, or the new frontiers reached in cinematography.

I know that there is something special about Tarantino's movies and I can feel it to without a doubt, the way they are filmed and the atmosphere really stand out, but overall his movies are way to monotone and slow for my taste. The way things unfold is not satisfying in any way possible and apart from a lot of gore and blood, I say nothing special of a plot, expect a simple short story dragged for 3 hours.

Quentin Tarantino is finally becoming the very thing he tries most to resist: a cliché.

I've continued to defend Tarantino against critics of his films who claim he does nothing but peddle in senseless violence and that he's made a career out of borrowing other filmmakers' styles rather than develop one of his own. But after "Django Unchained" and now "The Hateful Eight," I'm finding my interest in defending him starting to wane.

After reading the divisive reactions to "The Hateful Eight," many of which confirmed my sinking suspicions that I would be in for yet another pointless bloodbath like "Django," I found myself pleasantly surprised by the film's first half. Tarantino's penchant for creating colorful characters and giving them juicy dialogue is in full force, and he's assembled again a cast of actors who, even if in some cases aren't really good actors, are able to convince you for the length of this film that they are because they sound so good saying the things they're given to say. And some of them ARE good actors, like Jennifer Jason Leigh who steals the show as a degenerate gang leader, and who knows exactly how to land every joke Tarantino throws out, which are numerous and which make the first half a riot. But the movie, after all the rambling dialogue and plot exposition, has to eventually come to a conclusion, and unfortunately, Tarantino has seemingly lost all ability to end a movie in any way other than killing off all of his characters as gruesomely and graphically as possible. The very violence that used to give his movies punch and get people talking has now become boring and routine and, worst of all, predicable. I watched the end of this film play out and thought, "he gives us this great set up and these great actors and this is the only thing he can think of to do with it all?"

Tarantino has taken a lot of heat for being misogynistic and racist. I don't think he's a misogynist -- nothing happens to Leigh's character that wouldn't just as easily happen to any of the men, and in his own way Tarantino gives us a rather feminist character in his refusal to concede anything to Leigh's gender; she's as nasty, if not even more so, a piece of work as any of the male characters. As far as racism goes, I don't think Tarantino's a racist either, but I'm not sure what he's trying to say about race relations. If "The Hateful Eight" is any indication, he's saying that blacks have been so mistreated by whites that they are now free to do whatever they want to the white man with the added bonus of it being hilarious because it's so deserving. In this complicated and sensitive time of revived racial conflict, this is a poorly-timed moment to address the topic in so juvenile and facile a manner.

"The Hateful Eight" is above anything else one of the most uneven movies I've seen in a long time. It can't settle on a tone or a point of view. It's too long, too excessive, and Tarantino clings too rigidly to tricks (like topsy-turvy chronology) that have made his previous movies interesting but now just seem so tired. One thing I can unequivocally say the film has going for it is its magnificent score, courtesy of Ennio Morricone, who won a well-deserved Oscar for it. The rest of the film's not a wash, but it did leave me feeling like it's time for Tarantino to crawl out of the sandbox and start playing with the big boys.

Grade: B-

If you like Tarantino's style of telling a story with intrigue and surprise, you'll going to like this movie. For me it was a little bit too long with its three hour clocking time. But then again I'm not the biggest Tarantino fan, so if if you're a fan you probably won't complain. The characters are interesting, with some great actors. I liked the beginning the most when it's the outdoor traveling setting, but most of the movie actually takes place inside a cabin. In a way it's like a stage play because it's all about the characters. I personally like more about stories that have different places but that's just a matter of taste.

I think there is a Kurosawa-feel in the plot, and knowing Tarantino's fashion of snatching ideas from old movies, I wouldn't be surprised if he took the plot idea from some samurai film. This is just guessing.

Quite safe to say that if you like Tarantino, you like this film, and if you don't you probably don't like it. I'm somewhere in the middle admitting it's well made but not a personal favorite.

The first half of The Hateful Eight is absolutely amazing. I was glued to the screen. The director managed to create an atmosphere similar to that of John Carpenter's The Thing, which is one of the ingredients for making not just great, but a timeless movie.

During the time when movie was focused on Kurt Russell AND Samuel L. Jackson, the movie was amazing, easily a 10 out of 10.

Unfortunately, at the start of the second half, the director made some dumb choices, which broke the flow of the movie and made me disappointed.

It's still worth watching, though.

Should have been re-edited and tightened up. The long development and eventual payoff wasn't as good as other Tarantino films. Characters were stuck repeating too many lines instead continuously developing.

It's a great story being told. Yes the movie is on the long side, but it is for the better. The only reason it's only a 6 is because the special effects and effort put into the movie acting, props, just everything seemed poor for it being a newer movie.

There doesn't seem to be a real plot, or moral in this story and it leaves you feeling bad, rather than excited or inspired. When certain truly sick-in-the-stomach making action takes place you hope it will lead to something good, but this film only gets darker.

As most of the film is indoors talking heads, with totally unrealistic lighting, the whole thing feels like a theater performance registration. I was for the first time truly distracted by how theater-like unrealistic the lighting was. Also the blizzard during the entirety of the film is most of the time just some gentle snow with a light breeze, that was attempted to feel bigger with heavy sound effects that did not rhyme with the visuals. In general all Foley was larger than life and sounded 'too good'.

Shooting this on 70mm film in 2015 is nothing more than prestige and makes no sense, considering the cinematographic choices.

Still 6 stars because the actors did great, And the practical effects that I had rather not seen, where also very well executed by the artist(s).

Very dark with a lot of blood and splattered brains. Whether you are nice in this film or nasty , your blood ends up soaking into the floorboards. I thought it a little slow until the backtrack scene explains what went on before we entered the story,But after that the body count accelerates along with the tension. Humour is unevenly sprinkled in my opinion.... the captive woman being assaulted for the least infraction was funny...if brutal- or the 'haberdashery" door having to be nailed shut against the wind every time it was opened. The rest is unrelenting slaughter...as someone remarked, talk talk talk murder talk talk talk murder! One would have to wonder about a mind that can think up this sort of brutality. Having said that, it is facinating and I for one had to see it to the end . Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

I was hoping it was going to be like a proper western movie but it wasn't quite different from that. I thought it was unnecessarily long. It made me laugh at times which is good and bad because I don't really watch western crime films to make me laugh. The acting was good not really a bad watch I just expected better.