THE HATEFUL EIGHT is a film that's going to divide people, even Tarantino fans. I saw someone compare it to JACKIE BROWN, in that it could be a film that gets the cold shoulder and may not be fully appreciated until years from now, and some of the lukewarm early responses suggest that could indeed be the case. It may suffer from following DJANGO UNCHAINED and therefore being expected to act as some kind of double-bill with that blistering revenge epic, when in fact aside from the Western genre and a couple of thematic resonances, THE HATEFUL EIGHT is a very different film. It feels less like a DJANGO UNCHAINED/INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS "movie movie" than an Agatha Christie style locked-room parlor mystery. But, and I acknowledge this could be down to the euphoria of first viewing and my opinion may alter on repeat watches, for me at least, THE HATEFUL EIGHT is astounding, and ranks up there as one of Quentin Tarantino's finest films.
One of the most disarming things about THE HATEFUL EIGHT is how small it is. So much has been made about the deluxe 70mm format being employed for a limited theatrical run, which might make you expect something epic and expansive in scope, but what we get instead is Tarantino's most intimate film since RESERVOIR DOGS. Yes, we get some gorgeous, snow-swept Wyoming vistas in the opening sequences as Kurt Russell's dogged bounty hunter John Ruth travels on a carriage with captive fugitive Daisy Domergue, pursued by an approaching blizzard, picking up fellow bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L Jackson) and newly appointed sheriff Chris Mannix (Walt Goggins) along the way. But once the ragtag band take shelter in remote outpost Minnie's Haberdasherie as the storm settles in, the entirety of the rest of the film takes place in and around this cramped single-room setting with its bar, its dining table, its communal coffee pot and its fireplace armchairs. It's quite conceivable to imagine the film being performed as a play. The effect is claustrophobic, and with the capacity for action dialled way back, every little character interaction and line of dialogue becomes amplified and laced with a heightened degree of impact. The tension builds and builds, and when the action finally does kick in, it's like a tightly-wound spring being set loose. And when you spend such an extensive period of time in the same location in the company of the same characters, it's all the more powerful when it eventually, inevitably becomes a blood-soaked horror house.
With such a stationary film, much of the weight is therefore going to be placed on the dialogue to carry proceedings, and this film may boast some of Tarantino's greatest ever scripting. The big strength of THE HATEFUL EIGHT lies in its characters, and how Tarantino is able to build a set of distinctive characters that his talented cast then convincingly inhabit and make real and fully-realised, so that watching the various pairings of these figures play off one another becomes electrifying viewing.
If you were to pick out a lead in this ensemble piece, it would probably be Tarantino stalwart Samuel L Jackson as Major Warren. And Jackson more than rises to the challenge, delivering his best performance since at least... well, DJANGO UNCHAINED, and perhaps his best leading role performance since PULP FICTION. Major Warren is a fascinating figure, monstrous in his own right, but enough less repellent than many of the others to draw our sympathies. Jackson taps into that particular intensity he has where he can tread the line between being a badass you want to cheer on while also being genuinely frightening.
Kurt Russell, meanwhile, is an actor who's always a welcome presence in films for me. He's an icon from that 1970s/1980s action movie heyday that can actually act, and I feel the one thing stopping him from garnering more acclaim is that he isn't prolific, often only showing up in one or two films every few years. But it's kinda admirable that he marches to the beat of his own drum and only does the kind of offbeat projects he finds interesting, such as this. John Ruth isn't a particularly pleasant person, but he's probably about the most upfront character in the film, and Russell is clearly having a blast channeling John Wayne in his performance.
But it's Walt Goggins who could be the big revelation of the film as Chris Mannix. One of several actors to make the leap from DJANGO UNCHAINED in a new role, I had heard that Goggins in fact originally had a much bigger role in Tarantino's previous Western, only for most of it to be left on the cutting room floor. Tarantino must have felt bad about that, as here Goggins gets a really meaty part, and plenty of monologues to get his teeth into. He has one of the more interesting arcs of the film, coming across as almost immediately repulsive - an unapologetic Confederate racist who speaks proudly of the lynchings he participated in - but who over the course of the film reveals more shades and nuances and comes to surprising understandings with other characters. Goggins is an actor I've been a fan of going back to his time on THE SHIELD, so I'd be very happy if this led to him getting a boost in profile.
I also greatly enjoyed Tim Roth as jaunty hangman Oswaldo Mobray, the kind of quirky part which I can imagine with very minimal rewriting could have been played by Christoph Waltz. Really, though, the whole cast is stellar. Almost every character is hiding something, be it a secret or some hidden connection to another character, and that mystery tied into everyone's performance just makes this a fascinating, engrossing puzzle box of a film.
I also want to give a shout-out to the legendary Ennio Morricone providing an original score for the film. People might have been expecting something along the lines of his classic soundtracks for THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY or ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, but what we instead get is something much more sinister, reminiscent of his moody work on John Carpenter's THE THING. Which, come to think of it, is very appropriate.
The dialogue-heavy presentation and the hefty, near 3-hour running time may be daunting for some, but I must say the film flew by for me. There are twists and turns I can't really get into, but I will say I was sat on the edge of my seat, hooked, throughout. Masterfully written and directed, wonderfully acted, THE HATEFUL EIGHT might not be everyone's cup of tea (or cup of suspicious coffee, if we're at Minnie's), but it was most certainly mine. A nasty, mean-spirited treat of a film... and with its snowy setting, character's talking of visiting relatives for the holidays and carols being played on the piano, it is officially a Christmas film too!
