Movie: The Hateful Eight
Direction: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern
Music: Ennio Morricone
Cinematographer: Robert Richardson
Editor: Fred Raskin
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: ∗∗∗∗
What is it about: In the midst of dead winter and blizzard a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) and a prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) find shelter in a Cabin, where they encounter a collection of eccentric characters. What happens post that forms chain of events directed by Quentin Tarentino.
Why it’s disappointing: This space can rest for this movie.
What to watch out for: Making a film with minimal characters and keeping the audience engaged for the entire period is a grave task for a director. But Quentin does that with ease, how he does that is an art which only he can pull it off. His characters always are hard to accept, who happened to be the most brutal in nature. Violence is a big weapon used in Tarentino’s movies.
The beauty of “The Hateful Eight” lies in its 8 principal characters, they differ in every aspect and churn out a great variation in performance. Quentin always has a peculiar way of narrating the story and he loves to narrate the story in different chapters, which halts and patiently takes you through the events without overlapping.
The entire cast was marvellous, you cannot pick your favourite. In spite of that one character which caught my eye was Daisy Domergue a.k.a. “The Prisoner” played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, she did a remarkable job. She has the brutality and the charm to pull of the character given to her.
Then it was John Ruth a.k.a. “The Hangman” played by Kurt Russell, he did a great job followed by Samuel L.Jackson as Major Marquis Warren a.k.a. “The Bounty Hunter”. Samuel has the panache to manage his performance at a substantial level making it a commendable one. Finally the Sheriff Chris Mannix a.k.a. “The Sheriff” played by Walton Goggins, who did a great job in bringing in the occasional humour which was required in this high tense drama.
It was surprising to see Channing Tatum appearing in the movie and joining the bandwagon of Quentin Tarentino, he had a short stint but did a good job. The rest of the cast which includes Tim Roth as Oswaldo Mobray, Michael Madsen as Joe Gage, Bruce Dern as General Sanford “Sandy” Smithers, Demián Bichir as Bob (Marco the Mexican). All of them did their parts well making the ensemble complete.
The film had great cinematography which was filmed in traditional 65mm film using Ultra Panavision 70 and Kodak Vision 3 film stocks. This marks the only film since 1992 released in this version. The makers avoided any kind of Digital Intermediate and color-timed photochemically by FotoKem. Cinematography by Robert Richardson was great, he made the drama in a closed room a lively one with moving cautiously capturing every instance. Then comes the soundtrack which has already won Golden Globe for best Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. The background score was great which had the mood set right for the events occurring in the movie. The sound was great which balanced the silence in most parts of the movie.
The version showed in the theatres only runs for 167 minutes, whereas the road show version was at 187 minutes. The Indian censor board has muted few profane words, with very minimal cuts involving brutal violence.
Verdict: Tarentino did it again, he put 8 characters in a room and captured the attention of the entire cinema hall with his unique style, which no can re-create. This is a film which should be cherished for its making not for entertainment, a tutorial for aspiring filmmakers. Catch this great piece of work at a good cinema near you to experience the magic of Quentin Tarentino.
