The director Quentin Tarantino is known for a few things that he has created during his time in the film industry. It’s either bringing a ton of violence to conventional films, creating hilarious films out of the pure conversation, or his most commonly used thing; long scenes. These long scenes have solidified him as a true auteur in Hollywood, who inspires and creates films that are beyond the overall scope of convention yet beloved by critics and audiences alike.
He really caught the massive audiences’ eyes with that style of filmmaking, it was something that wasn’t found in conventional films yet it wasn’t something that you couldn’t really watch as a normal viewer who just wants to relax in a movie. The Hateful Eight is his most prime example of these long scenes, as it’s a film situated entirely in one location. It’s the story of a group of weary and terrifying travelers, caught inside a cabin on a very snowy day.
How to Stream or Download The Hateful Eight
To stream or to download the film from a digital store of your choice, click on the Download button located below this review. Check out also our reviews of other films by Tarantino: Pulp Fiction (1994), Inglorious Basterds (2009), Kill Bill: Vol.1 (2013) and Vol. 2 (2014), Django Unchained (2012), or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).
The Movie Review
The story follows a couple of characters within quick succession, as it is set inside of an isolated cabin during a snowstorm in a hilly area. The film starts with a bounty hunter, a convict, and another bounty hunter all coming to terms and sharing a ride to a nearby cabin to wait out the storm. Upon reaching there, they find a host of other characters within the story; Red Rock’s new hangman Oswaldo Mobray, a new keeper at the cabin named Bob, a cowboy named Joe Gage, Sheriff Chris Mannix, and Sanford Smithers, a Confederate general traveling to bury his son.
The posse of characters starts to converse and get to know each other more and more through dialogue. Eventually, though, secrets are unveiled and old wounds are opened; and the safe haven that was the cabin; turns into the final oasis for a blood bath.
First of all, I need to commend Quentin Tarantino for the beautiful use of one cabin to tell a whole story. It’s a sight to behold how this film is shot and paced all within a single location for the most part. The writing in the film is a huge part of this, as it essentially sets the tempo for the dialogue and the key intense moments within the film. He uses the script-writing technique known as ‘the pledge’, where he starts off dialogue and scenes with lines that will consistently intrigue you.
The Hateful Eight is a film that is filled with ‘pledges’, which makes the film extremely suspenseful. You’re constantly in wait for a conflict to happen, and he keeps giving you more and more moments of conflict yet keeps you waiting for the actual action. This is what results in the film’s ecstatic last two chapters, chock full of Tarantino’s stylistic blood, guts, and gore glory.
The acting plays a huge part too, with the star-studded cast gracing us with some exceptional performances that tremendously hook you with each line of dialogue spoken. Tarantino mainstay Samuel L Jackson provides exceptional performance, perhaps even his career-best as Major Marquis Warren.
Then there are Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh as John ‘The Hangman’ Ruth and Daisy Domergue, who are massively engaging in every single scene full of violent, infectious tension. Other Tarantino mainstays are also present here, with Walton Goggins’ Sharif Mannix, Michael Madsen’s Joe Gage, and Tim Roth’s Oswaldo Mobray being highlights in the film.
The film’s cinematography was done beautifully by Robert Richardson, who has worked with Tarantino ever since the first Kill Bill movie. He paints the film in browns, greys, whites, and glorious red in every single shot and creates a stylistic masterpiece through sheer creativity. Not to mention, the ecstatic score by the master of Western music Ennio Morricone.
The soundtrack in particular is such a master class in music-making, that you just cannot help but feel immersed within the world of this film. It is reminiscent of classic The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly westerns yet it also has the aura of mystery, maliciousness, and suspense that The Hateful Eight brings.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, the film is a positive delight to the sense. Tarantino masterfully crafts a story around an indubitably messed up group of people being situated within the same room. He then uses it as a device to showcase the darkest aspects of the Western bounty hunting era and pushes the boundaries of what can be done with minimal requirements for sets and locations. The Hateful Eight is powered by godly performances from its star-studded cast, and its magnificent soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.
This is a film that you just NEED to watch, it’s a masterpiece unlike anything else.
