So I went to see this in the 70mm tour they're doing. I'm glad I did, it was a cool experience. I'm not sure if they'll have the opening overture and intermission in the standard release or not, but it really felt like I was going to a classic film viewing in the 50's or something.
Now, onto the film. It is really hard for me not to enjoy dialogue in Tarantino films. I love the opening talks back and forth as three of the eight are driving up to the cabin. And then you get to the cabin and get to hear a lot of great dialogue from the rest of the eight. It is all great, and perfectly sets you up for violence later on.
I enjoy just about everything in this movie. Every actor is turning in a great performance, but I specifically loved Samuel L Jackson and Walton Goggins. Both went from very good at the start, to extremely entertaining by the third act (unlike the sudden voiceover).
If you like Tarantino films or westerns at all, you should certainly check this one out.
i feel like they could have easily shaved an hour of useless exposition and unimpressive scenery shots off this. sure tarantino loves to talk but there were a number of scenes that felt completely pointless, especially the one where it jumps back to the beginning of the day
Almost one location, 3 hours and not a single boring scene.
If you are a fan of Tarantino then you have to watch this movie, adding his usual flavor with a mix of Western flavor and unsurpassed amount of bloodshed.
Slight confusion but the it comes all together and the dialogue just brings out the talent of these fantastic actors.
It's a bit slow paced but no less entertaining.
Quentin Tarantino is such a underrated director......Walton Goggins, i'm beginning to like him more more in his films....underrated actor he is
Brilliant masterpiece! Enjoyed every second of it. Must be watched on biggest screen with best sound available.
The Hateful Eight
A western "Who Done It?", where each character is equally untrustworthy.
The tension oozes with the great acting and claustrophobic setting.
The camera work was fantastic.
I felt that the narration felt unnecessary.
8.5/10
#NicksMiniReview
https://t.co/LVsN9fl3Fi
Well made. I liked the pacing. Very dialogue heavy, to a fault. This is a classic example of "tell, don't show". Tarantino is a crafty filmmaker even when he's making not very good films, and this is a case of that.
For what it's worth this is probably my favorite Tarantino flick since Jackie Brown. It falls into a lot of the same trappings of modern Tarantino films. To much reliance on not great dialogue. Cringeworthy humor. Trying too hard to be cool. But there's enough of a spark here that I sat tight through the whole 3 hours.
The Great Silence, which this movie was clearly heavily inspired by, is one of my favorite films of all time, and I really do think this picture did that one justice by expending on some of its core themes. Now that's damn high praise coming from me. Even if there's not a whole lot else I can compliment this film on, I can at least say that.
I haven't noticed it last time, but "The Hateful Eight" has many elements in common with "Reservoir Dogs". It's just twice as long, half as compelling. The individual scenes work; they are just buried underneath layers of self-indulgence and sketchy dialogues. No complaints about the photography, direction, and cast, except Tim Roth who kind of looked and sounded like a second-class Christoph Waltz.
“Now, Daisy, I want us to work out a signal system of communication. When I elbow you real hard in the face, that means: shut up.”
John - The Hangman - Ruth
I love the dialog of this movie, and being that it's basically a one location scene film.. the dialog has to triumph
I got to watch this on the final day of the road show in the most spectacular cinema I have ever seen. One of my absolute best ever movie-going experiences. The film itself was excellent, I didn't have high expectations given the premise and cast, but it really shows you never to underestimate Tarantino. The 3 hours went by in no time and I felt like not one bit of the film needed trimming. Is it my favorite Tarantino flick? Time will tell, he has been consistently putting out 10/10s for me since the early 00s - and the beautiful 70mm transfer was fantastic for the cinematography.
Thirty three people watching an unreleased film?
Naughty naughty ;)
Usually I'm a fan of Tarantino style dialogue, but in this movie it was mostly talk and not much else. The movie seemed to drag on and on with little to no action in between all the yapping.
Damn it, Tarantino did it again. Shortest three hours of my life. And at the end I was like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAryFIuRxmQ
I have a different view point on this
The Pace was SO Slow
I love the Acting and Dialogue from each Character.. The Story was Ok wasn't satisfied with the ending but it was still a good watch no doubt
110 minutes would be more than enough. I don't understand so high ratings. The movie is not special in any way...OK, Tarantino made it but that's not a guarantee of success.
Very long slow and goofy.
Excellent film! One of my favourite Tarantino movies.
No tengo pantalones cuando voy este pelicula
There's a certain classic feel to this movie. Most would point to Agatha Christie and Clue. That's because this movie is a mystery, or perhaps an old-fashioned whodunnit, and a mostly well-done whodunnit at that. There were certain aspects of this film that I wasn't a fan of - and that really came down to the mysterious answer to that question. It just isn't the direction I would have gone. I would have given this movie a higher score if it turned out differently - in fact it's the second to last chapter that changed my outlook on the entire movie. I wouldn't say anything was ruined, just changed.
This film has all the typical Tarantino elements when it comes to violence and not-really-but-technically-a-western elements - but there isn't really any action. This is a violent drama mystery that focuses most of its strength on written dialogue. This is Tarantino's best work - when it comes to dialogue only. It was so well-written that it often felt theatrical...in a good way. The only time I didn't care for people talking is when Tarantino would randomly narrate chapter headings. I understand that adds to the classic feeling...a directoral introduction, if you will...but at the same time, that removes from the cinematic feeling.
Perhaps one of the main issues I had with this film was the runtime. His movies have a tendency to run long, but most the time I don't really mind...this time I did. Yes, a lot of the scenes were integral to developing characters, including backstories and overall atmosphere...but I kept thinking the movie could be shortened and maintain everything of importance.
On a technical level, this movie is phenomenal. It's hard to complain about anything in terms of musical score, acting, directing, writing, lighting, editing, the works. Everything behind the scenes was perfectly balanced and carefully produced - something Tarantino is well known for, regardless of entertainment value. The Hateful Eight is a pretty decent mystery when it came to story - and one that is sure to lure more audiences in over the years. Check it out!
Wow, best Tarantino movie in terms of dialog. I loved the part where they showed how the gang set up the ambush at Minnie's Haberdashery (I love this word).
You know a good film when the minutes and hours fly by and you have barely looked at the clock. This is nearly three hours long but it doesn't feel like it. Not a second is wasted by Tarantino. A first rate group of actors deliver Tarantino's dialogue. Despite being set in (mostly) one place I never got bored. After a talky (but never dull) hour and a half the plot moves forward several notches and there is surprise after surprise. These truly are horrible and hateful people but you will enjoy their company.
I didn't expect it to like it as i hate very long movies but i find it not boring and nicely paced for a three hour movie. I didn't like the splatter of blood and other organs. I find it not suitable for the film
A film that has all the hallmarks of Tarantino's previous films, and one that also embodies everything both good and bad about Tarantino as a filmmaker. Creatively there is nothing new here that he hasn't explored before, and whilst the film is engaging enough, this more than most of his previous entries leaves one feeling that Tarantino has nowhere else to go. The credit flourish that boldly states this is "the 8th film" to come from the filmmaker only serves to highlight at least an underlying sense that nobody questions his creative decisions anymore and this is a film in sore need of an editor. The film may be beautifully shot, but the eponymous eight are surprisingly uninteresting characters, largely dependent on the charisma of the actors playing them. It should come as no surprise therefore that Jackson dominates, but equally there is a sense that Tarantino is repeating himself, never more so than with Madsen's character for example (though it seems that Madsen has been playing the same character all his life). Thus with only Jackson and to a certain extent Leigh providing much interest, conversations between all the principals tend to meander with seemingly little point and most of the outdoor location work serves as little more than window dressing. There is a fun 90 minute mystery thriller set in one location somewhere in here, but unfortunately this is one film that feels bloated and excessive as a result of Tarantino's script rather than enhanced by it. Perhaps next time, Tarantino should consider that verbose doesn't always equate to interesting and there are better ways to develop characters that audiences can empathize with - Jackie Brown seems such a long time ago, yet suggests that Tarantino may now be better suited to adapting other's characters rather than repeating his own.
Although it's a 3h movie, I was not bored for a single minute.
It's basically just dialog with a little bit of gun slinging mixed in. But it's so well done that it keeps you entertained the whole time.
This is my third Tarantino film (seen Kill Bill 1 & 2) and he doesn't fail to impress so far. This one's a western mystery thriller with snow instead of sand, I love the idea.
The first act is arguably the film's strongest, it's such a strong setup, very dialogue driven and it really takes you into the late 1800's period. The second act was my favorite, perfect character introductions, interesting character interactions and you can see everything is cleverly setting up for some kind of twist. The third act arrives and it's a totally unpredictable twist but as smart as this movie is I think it has some logic problems. It seems to me like they went through a lot of trouble with all this setup when they could have simply shot the major (and everyone else) the second they entered the cabin, it was totally doable. But anyways it's a movie so it didn't stop my enjoyment. Third act was epic.
Absolutely beautiful scenery and it's all shot very well. Tarantino really captured the cold with this one, felt like the cold was coming out of the TV, had to go get a blanket. The score is perfect, clever dialogue, lots of dark humor and tension filled. Both the narration and the slow-motion felt like an insult to this movie, totally unnecessary. Samuel L. Jackson blew it out of the park, one of his best performances.
Not sure why people didn't like it much. But other being long it does bring up each character to its form and end makes it worth knowing all. All in all i found it good surely not a bore or something
If Agatha Christie and Wes Craven had a one night stand in the old west, the baby would be The Hateful Eight. It's the perfect horror/whodunit/western. This film is a masterclass in dialog, character development, and storytelling. Absolutely superb!
The movies is at least a 6 but i give a 7 for Jennifer Jason Leigh!
"The Hateful Eight", directed by Quentin Tarantino, is an exciting and action-packed crime film. The film takes place in Los Angeles in the 1960s and the story is about a group of criminal associates who have a plan to rob a restaurant.
One of the main strengths of the film is the fast-paced and creative screenplay signed by Tarantino. He has been able to create interesting and charismatic characters and increase the tension in the scenes by using eloquent and attractive dialogues. Also, action and drama are well balanced in the film and it shows the skill of the director in combining these two elements.
Part of the criticism they bring to the film is that despite the breadth of the film and its strengths, some scenes have ups and downs in quality and charm and may not attract the audience's attention. In addition, some of the director's choices and the creations of the film may also be against the taste of some viewers and cause criticism.
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Another masterpiece by Quentin Tarantino, featuring a stellar cast that delivers exceptional performances. Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson are phenomenal with their dynamic chemistry and intense acting skills. The film's immersive storyline and visuals keep the audience engaged throughout. Tarantino's signature style of storytelling is at its best in The Hateful Eight, making it a must-watch for any fan of the director or Western genre.
Apparently I'm a Tarantino fanboy. While this is not his BEST effort by a long shot I still enjoyed the sharp dialogue, interesting characters, and over the top violence that he gives us.
Talk too much, feel boring.
A movie that has something to say, with great performances
An interesting example of a western with elements of a detective puzzle in the style of who, for whom and why was killed.
Pretty cool but not going to dethrone any other Tarantino top picks
"Move a little strange, you're gonna get a bullet. Not a warning, not a question...A bullet!" - Major Marquis Warren
The story is about a blizzards strands together a group of bounty hunters and ne'er-do-wells in a Wyoming cabin. But the small group is about to face a trail of betrayal and deception - and survival is certainly not guaranteed.
So I've finally got a chance to watch The Hateful Eight and I thought it was great. Mr. Tarantino has done it again everyone and while I don't think it's he's best one (In my opinion) but I would be lying to myself and to you if I didn't say I was entertained.
Quentin Tarantino is one of the best directors working today and he hasn't lost his touch yet, because he's directing in this movie was both stylish and old school. What Tarantino dose so brilliantly well in his movies is not only the dialogue or the character's, but the influences from other movies that he loves, because he is one of the biggest movie buffs I've ever seen. In The Hateful Eight, Tarantino takes movies like: The Thing, Murder on the Orient Express and Clue, all in one movie but with a gory twist. Even with the trouble of making this movie (mostly the script being leaked online), Tarantino still manages to pull off one heck of a movie with top notch directing.
There's a lot of big name actors in this movie and every single one of them shine in their roles. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kurt Russell, Walton Goggins and Tim Roth were all phenomenal, but Samuel L. Jackson was freaking outstanding and completely stole the show. Now after thinking about it, every single character in this movie is a horrible person and just imagine how hard it would have been for any writer to make us find enjoyment in theses character's, but that's what Quentin Tarantino is always best at doing.
Another thing that's worth bringing up is the score for this movie, as it's more than good, it's fantastic. Ennio Morricone is the master of music composers and he's score for this movie was freaking magnificent. After the movie was over I was humming the score, it was that good. I hope he wins Best Original Score at the Oscars, because he deserves it.
The cinematography was amazing (whenever they're not in a room), it was engaging and the movie did grow on me after awhile.
Now for the flaws: The character logic towards the end of the movie didn't really make that much sense to me, as it really detached from what the movie perfectly set up at the beginning, but that's just me.
When Zoe Bell character says that Auckland is New Zealand's biggest city. Auckland didn't become New Zealand's largest city until the 1900s, surpassing Dunedin. There's many other historical errors in this movie.
Overall rating: The Hateful Eight is everything that you wanted in a Quentin Tarantino film. The dialogue was engaging, all of the performances were amazing and the score was just perfect.
I liked so much more than Django Unchained.
I think this is one of the worst films Tarantino did
The Hateful 8 is a long but great movie. It starts off very slow and builds up the characters, the middle built up the tension and trust between characters, and then all of that leads up to the great ending. Each Chapter in the movie had something important but there were a couple of scenes that could have been cut. The Writing is great the whole movie was basically the characters talking to each other. The Character dialogue is great . The cast and the acting is good, in my opinion Samuel L Jackson gives his best performance. It’s directed very well by Quentin Tarantino. The Score is very good it fits the untrustworthy and tense vibe of this movie. The cinematography is great as well like in all the Tarantino movies. The last chapter is thrilling and its end is good. Overall even though it’s a long movie that could have been cut down it is entertaining and another great movie by Tarantino.
(8 out of 10)
It had some boring scenes but otherwise it was ok
In the mid-19th century, a blinding snowstorm blows several crooked paths to one central location: a haberdashery in the middle of nowhere. Here, a motley gathering of bounty hunters, fugitives, lawmen and soldiers takes place, but nothing is quite as it seems. Eight may walk in, but far fewer will see the sunlight when this storm clears.
Structurally, The Hateful Eight is quite similar to Tarantino's first effort, Reservoir Dogs. A wide variety of brash, violent, colorful characters, bouncing off the walls (not to mention each other) in an enclosed space while an unseen threat keeps them right where they are. Secrets abound, betrayals too, with the audience kept as much in the dark as the participants. Both are reminiscent of a one-set stage show, really, with the added benefit of cinematography.
The biggest stumbling block here is setup, specifically how much of it there is before the plot feels ready to proceed. I'm a proponent of establishing things, of not rushing in with guns blazing, but this may be an extreme example. The first act alone runs for longer than many feature films, and while there's some good character stuff in that space, it surely could've achieved the same purpose in half the time or less. The auteur’s infamously witty, cutting dialog is absent for this portion of the film, too, which may have contributed to that lethargy.
Those who tough it out are rewarded when the pace finally quickens, leading to a typically Tarantino climax - grisly, shocking and wild - but that's awfully familiar territory. For now, this director can still deliver the goods with his back up against the wall, but the time feels nigh for an evolution. He can't answer every riddle with two barrels of lead and a wet, crimson explosion... can he?
“You only need to hang mean bastards, but mean bastards you need to hang.” The Hateful Eight is a suspenseful thriller from writer/director Quentin Tarantino. The story follows a bounty hunter who’s bringing a fugitive in to hang but gets snowed in at a haberdashery with a group of shadowy characters during a storm. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Walton Goggins, the performances are incredibly good. However, the pacing is rather slow and is weighed down by a lot of heavy dialog. Also, the directing exacerbates the problems with a lot of long shots, single takes, and a switch to narration in the second half. Yet despite its problems, The Hateful Eight is a compelling who-done-it mystery that’s full of rich characters.
I watched the Netflix endended version and it really didn't add anything new. The episodes split felt fine but I did binge them all back to back so it was basically the movie straight.
The movie is what you expect from Tarantino, great dialogue, great character, and lots of blood. It feels a little long but entertaining throughout.
I didn’t remember this movie being as good!
Another great movie from Tarantino with so good perfomances and directing..This is the perfect movie to watch if you have lot of free time in a cold day of winter :) 8.2/10
A great movie.Tarantino is the best.
Most of the people that I know hate this movie... I personally loved the cinematography; Tarantino did an excellent job filming.
When Major Marquis punched that racist woman, so hard, that he knocked her out the horse carriage. I was dying laughing.
very very very very very very very fucking bullshit
This movie is for me the baddest one of quentin. Mostly every scene is too long for me. Sad
SLJ and JJL steal the show.
At moments It was like Cluedo, Quentin Tarantino style! Surprises, mysteries, a film that makes you not trust anyone, keeps you guessing. I love all the characters, specially Samuel L Jackson's... Great performances from all, loved the plot, great effects and good humour. kept me warm all the way through.. Not as good as his Django, but pretty damn gooood!
Película con muchos altibajos. Como película coral no está conseguida.
While not bad (like "From Dusk till Dawn"), I don't think this is a brilliant movie, either. It is overly brutal and the story is not that intriguing. Granted, it also never gets boring since you cannot anticipate, what Tarantino has up its sleeve next. However, I'm probably not going to watch it again and would advice you to watch Django, Kill Bill or Inglorious Bastards instead if you are in the mood of watching a Tarantino movie.
This is easily Tarantino's finest work. Many baulk at the epic 3 hour run time, but any less than 150min would have been felt too short, this as a double feature length split into chapters felt just right. Unlike Django, the pacing of each scene was like some of Sergio Leone's westerns, the single room cinematography and the nuanced attention to all set details that become essential to the story was reminiscent of Hitchcock, while QT's captivating story felt like a retelling of And Then There Were None blended with elements of (7 Samurai) Magnificent Seven. The performances were generally faultless, though Zoe Bell was gorgeous as Six Horse Judy, I couldn't understand why a young New Zealand girl is in 1 9th century Wyoming?
Why did I even watch this movie? I expect Tarantino movies to be bloody and not focusing too much on a good story, but this movie was just plain boring! Almost 3 hours and it took the storyline almost 2 1/2h to actually get to the interesting (bloody ;P) part. Sometimes the rule of skipping the first third really is right – especially for this movie…
Nice surprise at the end.
Wow I'm surprised many people liked it,it's kind of a boring movie and it took forever to finish it.
Why are Tarantino's films ssooooooo looonnngggggg. Maybe it's just me but this film is blah blah blah - far too much boring, meaningless dialogue. All in all I found this film to be just too desperate.
I only liked the last 1/3 of the movie when all the back story was revealed
lots of trick make me laugh
Its as if Agatha Christie wrote a western with a bunch of gore in the final act. Cool!
Eight western characters shoot it out over a female prisoner. One of them is the bounty hunter who wants to collect. Another is the new sheriff on his way to his new job. The black guy is an ex-Union soldier who has become a bounty hunter himself. One more is a Southern Colonel who is in search of his son. The rest are bandits in disguise looking to free the female prisoner. All of them get stranded by a snowstorm in a store on the way to town.
The spaghetti western is good enough. But then the movie tries to be something it is not. It tries to also be a patriotic movie about the civil war. Yet this theme is superimposed rather sloppily and unnecessarily. In the end, the cooperation on the hanging of the female bounty by the black veteran and the white racist sheriff doesn't need to be a symbol of the unity of the black and white races as citizens of the nascent country joining together to lynch those who truly deserve it instead of blacks. It can just be what it is: a revenge hanging by two hard-core westerners who are near death.
The best feature of this movie is the stunning cinematography --- which needs no shaky hand (as is the current questionable fashion) to make it outstanding.
| No one to trust. Everyone to hate.
Head in the sand I didn't know this was a Tarantino film until it began. Yes, seriously.
Full of all the hallmarks of his films, so, yes there's blood everywhere! I really enjoyed the movie, who would I trust? Who has a motive for deception? Edge of the seat entertainment, brilliant scenery, massive soundtrack.
I'm just glad I wasn't passing by Minnie's Haberdashery
the worst movie of tarantino. but, is very funny
A bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) and his prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) take shelter in a cabin during a violent snowstorm, sharing the space with a host of shady characters.
Upon release The Hateful Eight caused quite a stir with its unusual 70mm format. Here in the UK, cinemas squabbled over who could show it and the end result was everyone lost out. This is quite the price to pay for a film trying to open at the same time as Star Wars and it seems silly for a film that takes place largely indoors.
So to the burning question: was it worth all that hassle? Yes! It’s more than just a gimmick, the wide format provides a solid frame on which to build the concept - 1 part western, 1 part end-of-an-episode-of-Poirot murder mystery. Giving us such a huge scope in such a tight space is a clever move from Tarantino; we are constantly aware of every character in the room. In that sense it’s much akin to a stage play - everyone is always in motion, always in mind.
As ever the dialogue is slick, the violence is… violent and the soundtrack is on the money. Interestingly, Tarantino takes a more subtle approach to directing than usual. In that claustrophobic environment he pays close attention to every single ray of light hitting every single object, the snow billowing in through the walls and even the fog coming from people’s mouths in the cold. Nothing is ever at rest, even if the camera isn’t moving.
The performances do a lot of the leg work. Samuel L Jackson seems to always be at the top of his game with Tarantino, same goes with Tim Roth and Michael Madsen (although Madsen’s cowboy is probably the most forgettable of the lot). Jennifer Jason Leigh stands out the most however. She’s mad but smart, and doesn’t seem to care so much about her death sentence. You can never quite tell if she’s got a trick up her sleeve or she’s just resigned to her fate.
The film is too long and Tarantino likes to go back and talk about what just happened - it starts to wear a little thin. He just doesn’t seem to know when to stop and one can’t help but feel we could perhaps drop around half an hour of the film.
However, once again his infectious passion for cinema shines through. This is a beautiful, tense, surprisingly nuanced but hate-fuelled masterpiece of a Western, and one I can’t wait to go back to.
http://benoliver999.com/film/2016/02/28/thehatefuleight/
If you're a Tarantino fan you'll almost certainly love this movie, it might not be his greatest but it is classic Quentin.
more people than usual in the film was good, but what counts could have been told in two hours. Shootings and blood has not missed :-)
This movie was a rollercoaster. I really enjoyed the dialogues, but the suddenly narrator kinda ruined for me. I was like "Damn, this is a Tarantino movie?, where's the blood? It's like 10 minutes already", but at the end I was like: "PLEASE MAKE IT STOP" hahaha. Love the cast and every character has something unique. It doesn't feel too long at all. Always entertaining. Recomended, but if you're not into gore, avoid it.
I guess I hade to high hopes for this one. Maybe 70 mm would have helped, not sure though. First half of the movie was quite good unfortunately after the intermission it just went down hill. (personal opinion)
This movie is horrible, just plain trash! The whole context is abusive, mentally and emotionally, for women, and all I can say is Terrentino really dug deep into the abusive male psyche to script this! I wouldn't watch this movie again if you paid me!
Who does not like a dialogue written by Tarantino.
It is not easy to keep me interested for 3 hours and that's the best compliment I can do.
It's like Clue meets Reservoir Dogs in a snowy atmosphere. The cast is great and so is the mystery but the 3 hrs and 2 minutes isn't necessary. Since so much could have been cut out.
The problem is that Tarantino's ego is so big that he enjoys hearing his characters talk a lot and I mean a lot and thinks we will as well. Even if they are repeating conversations that they already have had multiple times.
A solid proof that not anyone can be Sergio Leone.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2016-01-04T19:12:09Z
(Note: This was the 70mm roadshow presentation of the film.)
This is a film about justice and tribalism and how the two lead to some strange, unsettling outcomes when the they are mixed together.
To the point, the film is filled with little moral thought experiments that underscore the idea of when we think it's wrong and right to kill, and explores how that's affected by which tribe they belong to. From Chris Mannix's tale of Major Warren burning down a prison, thereby killing a number of both Union and Confederate soldiers, to Warren himself goading General Smithers into trying to shoot him so he can shoot first, to Mobray's speech on dispassionate justice versus frontier justice, this is a film concerned with when dispensing lethal force is right.
But it's also concerned with how station and affiliation affect how others are treated and when something is truly just or honorable. Major West, despite his accomplishments and prowess, is derided and demeaned because of the color of his skin. Daisy Domergue is equal parts dismissed, patronized, and underestimated because she's a woman. It's no coincidence that one of the film's final scenes is a black former union soldier and a white rebel renegade cooperating to hang a woman in an excruciating fashion because it's the "right" way to honor a fallen comrade (who demeaned the both of them).
There's a lot to unpack in all of this. It's hard to say what Tarantino is saying beyond a broad level "who we are and where we're from shapes our view of what's right and who is fair game," but there's a lot there. The opening shot featuring a crucifix covered in snow hints at these broader themes, and details like the motley make up of Jody's gang to their wanton killing in order to save Jody's sibling lead in interesting thematic directions.
But apart from the larger thematic material, the film absolutely works at a basic narrative level. The first half of the film has a wonderful Clue vibe to it, with a series of characters slowly introduced and thrown together in interesting ways, where not everyone is what they seem, and the audience is left guessing, if not whodunnit, then who's going to do it.
The characters and performances are almost uniformly tremendous. Each of the major characters is well-sketched, and have interesting characteristics that lead to predictable but no less intriguing conflicts. The stand outs are Samuel L. Jackson, who is enthralling from the word go and nails the peak of the film with his monologue about the younger smithers; Jennifer Jason Leigh who gives a wonderfully unhinged performance as Daisy Domergue, and Tim Roth who has a delightful Christoph Waltz-ian flair to his bits of screen time. But everyone, from Russel to Goggins to Dern makes an impression.
The structure and performances help keep the tension high, whether in quiet moments in the stagecoach where it seems like things might become too rowdy, to the powder keg of the main cabin where mistrust grows and tempers flair. The first half of the film, where all the tension builds and is maintained, is more enjoyable than the second, where the answers are revealed, and the aftermath in interesting, but not nearly as engaging as the build of the mystery.
Still, despite (or perhaps because of) the usual Tarantino blood and guts and non-linear storytelling, the film in never boring, and while it works as a whole, the stage-like feeling of the production also allows individual scenes to feel like little vignettes, that could still be compelling or effective separated from the movie as a whole, even as they take on new meaning when juxtaposed.
I have my nits to pick -- Tatum feels a bit miscast (though his appearances are brief) and Tarantino's narration felt a bit obvious and unnecessary--but this is still a superb film from a great director. It's beautifully shot, with grand, frigid vistas that emphasize the isolation, and interesting camera movements that convey both the extra man spying on the proceedings and the heightened nerviness of individual scenes. It is also, for all its tension and thematic material, a damn funny movie, that had me chuckling more than a few times. I would not necessarily among my favorite Tarantino films, but that just speaks to the heights he's been able to hit. The Hateful Eight is still a fun, tense movie with some interesting thematic heft beneath the gunplay and quippy violence. It was well worth the cost of admission.