Quentin Tarantino has a superpower. He can sit two people down, film them having a conversation, and all of a sudden it’s the most interesting and tense scene you’ve ever watched. We’ve known this ever since Samuel L. Jackson praised the tastiness of Big Kahuna Burger in the groundbreaking Pulp Fiction. The Hateful Eight offers a master class in this talent and I can’t even hide my feelings about it for one paragraph: I bloody loved it.
The Hateful Eight follows black ex-union soldier-turned-bounty hunter Major Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) in post-civil war Wyoming. As a blizzard approaches, he is forced to stay at a lodge with seven strangers, who only have their reputations to vouch for their characters. What follows is a riveting tale of mystery, deception, and uneasy relationships. Though all eight have to trust one another, they all have good reason to hate each other.
Tarantino’s films have become more epic and sprawling as time has gone by, but the focus has always been on the characters and those captivating dialogue scenes. The Hateful Eight however, harkens back to his debut Reservoir Dogs, when all he needed was a bunch of guys in a room together to create nail-biting tension.
One thing to note about Tarantino is that he’s a film lover. Well, of course he is, right? He’s a filmmaker! But there’s a difference. Tarantino famously has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of films, from all eras and even all languages. It’s clear that he has immense respect for the craft. Above all, he loves to entertain and thrill audiences. Every one of his films is a journey, and The Hateful Eight perhaps demonstrates his passion better than any of his others.
The Hateful Eight has been likened to a play, in that it’s a sharp character story mainly set in one location. I reject this notion. The Hateful Eight was shot in 70mm film and has enjoyed the widest release of this format in twenty years. Sadly this version was only screened in London in the UK and I was unable to travel there. But I can still say that this film is gorgeous. From picturesque, snowy landscapes to the claustrophobic cabin, it dazzles. The ultra-widescreen aspect ratio is also a gleeful homage to old movies, not to mention the 70mm edition being loaded with an overture and intermission. But this isn’t gimmicky – the directing choices make full use of each frame, whether to imply distance between characters, or to enable the kinetic camerawork that helps establish the locations and atmosphere. This kind of visual storytelling cannot be delivered in a play.
Speaking of characters, it’s true that they all have reason to hate each other. But the audience doesn’t hate any of them. Why? Because they’re all so damned good. Even the racism-spouting confederate is nothing more than a shrivelled up old man clinging to his beliefs, and there are moments when you feel sympathy for him. How’s that for great writing? So much time is dedicated to establishing their morally ambiguous personalities and motivations that we’re invested in what happens to every one of them.
And they’re all played by one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory. Everybody is on top form. A special mention has to go to long time Tarantino collaborator Samuel L. Jackson. His refreshing lead performance is filled with life and charisma despite Warren being just as morally grey as the others. Also lesser-known Walton Goggins plays a terrific part, and his performance evokes such strong and broad feelings from us right the way through.
Tarantino is known for making long films. Recently I criticised The Revenant for its runtime. That’s because there came a time when the story stopped. The Hateful Eight is even longer, yet its story never lets up. It crawls through the opening chapters developing such strong characters and intrigue that we never want to check the time. After the mid-point the pace accelerates, and doesn’t stop until the credits roll. I was engaged for a whole three hours. And that’s a further credit to Tarantino’s excellent writing and his power to build tension over the most innocuous of dialogues. When it’s not interesting, it’s hilarious. When it isn’t hilarious, it’s bloody and violent. When it isn’t any one of those, it’s all three, and damned entertaining.
This brings me back to Tarantino. As much as he respects the art of filmmaking, he sets out to make a film with a simple goal: to entertain. He loves writing memorable characters, and even more memorable quotes. In The Hateful Eight he accomplishes this while playfully paying homage to classic films like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (and not just with Ennio Morricone’s excellent score) and his own catalogue. But the film does more: It’s plot is elegant in its simplicity, yet it culminates in a gripping sequence relevant to the post-civil war setting.
The Hateful Eight is one of my favourite films of 2015. Anyone looking for a wildly entertaining ride should check this one out. But for a fan of film, it’s essential viewing.
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