The Hateful Eight (2015)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Awesome Movie

Admirable film.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The Hateful Eight is Tarantino's eighth film (considering Kill Bill Vo. 1 and Vol. 2 as a single film). As expected, this is a highly dialogue driven movie, especially the first half of the movie. You can feel the tension in the air, given the backdrop. It takes place sometime after the American Civil War, hence the insecurities. I've got to applaud the director for the first half of the movie. It's directed superbly and acted out superbly. It's probably one of those films in which nothing nerve wrecking happens, yet it keeps you on the edge of your seat (I'm simply speaking of the first half). As the second half unfolds, you see this movie turning into a classic crime drama, with thousands of questions in your mind. And mind you, classic in the more traditional sense. But that is not necessarily a good thing. As a short story, that would have been great. It seems to lose its focus, especially in the last two chapters. I wasn't a big fan of the 'explanation' to what the hell was happening. It just stuck onto the norms of similar films. Disregarding the actual plot, this is a wildly entertaining movie. The ensemble cast is great, the cinematography is top notch and the conversations between the characters are intense. Disliking each and every character is a special thing about The Hateful Eight. Some would find the movie wildly entertaining (myself included) but not the best. Others would see this as an instant classic and one of Tarantino's best. Just a matter of personal opinion. But we can all agree upon the classic screenplay in the first half and the gorgeous cinematography.

8.5 out of 10 for clarification. The Hateful Eight continues Quentin Tarantino's trend of historical films by immersing the viewer in post civil war Wyoming to weave the bloody tale of strangers meeting up in a remote cabin during a blizzard. Tarantino's signature use of varied and extravagant characters is present here, and on the whole the excellent performances match these abstract personalities. Similarly, his use of extensively bloody, stylised violence is just as effective and compelling as in Pulp Fiction and the film retains his distinctive non linear plot structure. Also, the score is considered but not as compelling as the excellent soundtracks featured in in his previous films. The film gains momentum and peaks during the spectacular final act. However, the lack of his trademark sharp and quotable dialogue is a distressing omission that threatens to jeopardize his 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Overall, The Hateful eight marks a slight decline in quality from Tarantino's most impressive efforts (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction), but is still an accomplished film

Watched on Neflix. I just clicked play, having a toothache in the wee small hours I couldn't have cared less about the details , anything to concentrate on would do. The psycho of Hollywood Quentin Tarantino is the director so I knew I was in for a crimson tide of gore, instead I got a tsunami. Shock factor always disappears with Tarantino's films the more gore he adds the less it effects, it says more about his mind than mine. Starting hours before a huge blizzard is due a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) has is prey , a female worth 10 grand dead or alive, on the way to look for the safety of Minnie's Haberdashery, the coach and six picks up another bounty hunter (Samuel L. Jackson) then a would be sheriff (Walton Goggins) on his way to the town were the female Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is to be hanged. Arriving at Minnie's Jackson notices a lot is wrong, Minnie, her man and three employees aren't there. A lone Mexican man has been put in charge of the Haberdashery. The Haberdashery is the stage for the story. Inside the sprawling one room, is a confederate general, An English hangman and a gunslinger who's writing his autobiography. Agatha Christi's ten little Indians came to mind. With devil may care racism, needless murder etc., the story unfolds. Leigh's face has so much done to it , elbows in it, fists, hot stew, bloody vomit and a spatter of brains, she looked worse than Carrie on prom night by the end. 3 stars because the toothache eased by the end of a long boring pointless movie.

In the wild west shortly after the U.S. Civil War, an oddball gang of characters end up sharing space in a stagecoach lodge during a wicked Wyoming blizzard. They include bounty hunters, a wanted murderer, an alleged sheriff, an alleged hangman, a former Confederate general, and other mysterious guests who arise suspicion. The movie is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.In regard to movie storytelling and execution, I have little doubt that Tarantino is a genius. I also have little doubt that he is a sadist.His films can end up with different results depending on how much the mean-spirited violence overwhelms his brilliance. When the violence was minimal (that is, in Tarantino terms), the brilliance clearly won out with the creation of such great films as "Pulp Fiction", "Inglorious Basterds", and "Django Unchained".Then, there were the two movies in the "Kill Bill" series where the violence was often sickening and overwhelming. This situation recurs in "The Hateful Eight".Firstly, the pluses of which there are many:With the aid of music by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Robert Richardson, Tarantino succeeds in evoking a hell-on-earth created by its inhabitants.Storywise, there are many moments of mystery, plot twists, suspense, and extended moments of tense dialogue. While Tarantino's stories are always filled with violence, they are always engaging. And most of all, compared to many other screenwriters, his stories are always understandable. They can be complex without being confusing.There are two frequents sources of criticism about this movie but I will actually come to the movie's defense. One is that the movie is too long especially in the middle. I agree that it could have been shortened but the tension was always present in the middle scene leading the viewer to believe (rightly so) that this was only a build-up.The other criticism was against the inclusion of a scene that is a flashback. I felt this scene added to the film's impact. It helped solve the mystery of the backgrounds of some of the characters. It also allowed us to see other characters who had previously been spoken of only in reference. The best part of the scene is that it provided us with kind and friendly characters who interacted well with others. This was a welcome respite from the uniformly vile characters that infested the movie's first half.And the acting is great. Standout performances come from Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Bruce Dern.It's in the end when things get overly brutal and mean-spirited especially the fate of one character who had already been subject to an excess of degradation. The act itself and the image of its aftermath were hard to get out of my mind well after the movie's end. I guess it's now time for a schlocky rom-com to rebalance my senses.