Hateful Eight
As
I sit here typing my thoughts I am listening to the beautiful
soundtrack to the film- composed by Ennio Morricone- and it’s like
nothing he’s previously done for any other Western that I can think of.
It surely seems more in line with some of the Italian Horror and
suspense films of the 80’s and 70’s. Upon further research, some of the
music is actually recycled from unreleased material in his earlier
collaboration with John Carpenter for “The Thing”- which is probably no
accident given the subject matter, the tone, and even some of the film’s
stars. A friend of mine drew several similarities to the film and I’m
probably going to do the same- because this is Tarantino doing the west
with the paranoid edge of a noire thriller. These are my thoughts
regarding “The Hateful Eight”.
First-
it’s hard to ignore the controversy surrounding the film over the past
several years. A leak in the production team or amongst Tarantino’s
personal circle resulted in the distribution of an early draft on the
script- and that release provoked a fury in Tarantino as he withdrew all
consideration for even making this film to begin with. Amidst this
controversy, Tarantino decided to stage a live reading of the script and
this brought him back on board for making the movie. Then he insisted
the film be made in 70MM cinescope, which is mostly an all but dead
technology in film production. He intended the film be released in a
traveling road show for 70mm projection- probably gorgeous, by all
accounts, but ultimately received a larger digital distribution with
about ten minutes shaved from the time. During press junkets for the
films promotion, Tarantino has rankled other film makers with comments
toward the makers of “It Follows”, the Disney corporation for the timing
of their Star Wars release, the activities of police officers, his
liberal usage of some choice terminology in his movies, his decision to
probably top at a magic “10” to the total number of films he intends to
make throughout his life, and a genuinely bizarre series of encounters
that leave most of his fans confused and a little troubled by the
writer/director.
And
all of this kind of feels a little important when the theater lights
come up and the film comes to a close- because this film may be one of
the most interesting looks into the mind of the director himself, his
technique, and precisely where he sees himself and his legacy in the
world of film. Make no mistake about it- this is the most Tarantino film
of all his films and yet it’s also the most mature and ambitious
project he’s ever tried to tackle. It’s also the most self-indulgent and
aggrandizing project and I’m kind of at a loss on where to rank this
among his other works.
The
story is fairly simple and hearkens back to his beginning with a nod to
Reservoir Dogs-minimalism; Eight people in a lonely little outpost
along the western trails of Colorado during the dead of winter. John
Ruth (Kurt Russell) is a bounty hunter looking to collect his pay on a
fugitive he’s got chained to his wrist. We know who he is from the
outset- grizzled, gruff, and maybe a little sentimental toward the
ideals of justice in what he sees as the Land of the Free and Home of
the brave. His prisoner, Daizy Domergue (Jenniver Jason Leigh), is a
foul mouthed tramp that is most likely due for the gallows rope once
Ruth brings her in. Along the road they come across a Civil War Northern
veteran who now makes his living as a bounty hunter (Samuel L. Jackson)
and the son of a famous Southern General claiming to be the new Sheriff
of Red Rock (Walton Goggins).
The
sparks are already flying between the four as driver O.B. eventually
steers them up to that old Outpost (amusingly called “Minnie’s
Haberdashery”; it doesn’t take long to find out why) and the rest of the
ensemble cast. Are they all just innocent men trying to wait out the
blizzard, or are some of these men here to help out the wild gal in
Ruth’s custody? Tarantino maintains a slow broil throughout the film and
uses the freezing cold of winter to crank up the heat. And when things
happen it’s sudden, explosive, violent, and absolutely no one is safe or
innocent. And I’m sure everyone is going on and on about Jackson and
Russell- rightfully so! They’re amazing!
But
there are two break out performances in this movie beyond what we might
expect. The first is Jennifer Jason Leigh’s dark little turn as the
vindictive Minnie. Leigh hasn’t seen much in the way of a prominent role
since the early 90’s, but she really sizzles here and is worth the
price of admission all alone. And the second performance comes from
Walton Goggins, a familiar character actor you’ve seen coming from ten
miles away in a number of different films where he’s often playing the
same old role- most notably in “The Shield” and “Justified”; he’s often
typecast as the Southern Redneck-type and it really plays to our
expectations. Here he plays to his strength with some interesting turns
and performances along the way- is he really the sheriff or is he
something darker? I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat
throughout the course of the film- even if the seat did start to feel a
little too well worn by the three hour mark.
I
really want to give the film a five out of five, but the three hours
and a couple of scenes just started to knock a few points off- because
while the film is truly a great thing, it is also very much a case where
“art for art’s sake” is a bit too presumptuous.
4.5 out of 5.
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