A Funny, Gory, Beautifully Shot Western

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2015)

Quentin Tarantino, whether you like his films or not, deserves credit as one of the best directors of our age, because his films are so consistently great. Tarantino's "Hateful 8" should be experienced as he intended, in 70mm film showings, because average theaters can't quite do the film justice. The Hateful 8 is blood covered fun, with a story that is surprisingly unpredictable, and features truly beautiful cinematography. A note for anybody not aware, Tarantino's films are extremely gory and feature strong language, so if you don't like that kind of subject matter, this film isn't for you.
Tarantino's is notorious for his use of gore and language, but he always finds a way to make it fun. The Hateful 8 is no exception as the film is both extremely gory, and often hilarious. One of the biggest reasons the film is so funny is Tarantino's iconic, and witty dialogue. It is widely discussed that Tarantino is one of the best writers of dialogue and "The Hateful 8" is a great showcase of that.
Before seeing the film, I was curious, because the film was advertised as a story of 8 people trapped in a cottage during a blizzard, while that is a part of the story, it is far larger than that. The best example is that entering the film Channing Tatum was confirmed to be in the film, and it seemed unclear what role he could have, however he has a pretty significant role in the film. In many ways the plot unfolds like a game of clue, and the story is unpredictable in what turns the plot will take next. The unpredictable plot helps save the almost 3 hour running time, which is a little too long.
An example of why the run time is just a little too long, is a lot of the film focuses on the cinematography, which is why the 70mm film showings are truly worth the time to see. Most of the film is set in the gorgeous snow covered mountains of Wyoming, and the use of 70mm film gives the entire film a sleek and classical look. While the film could have been tightened up a little, if there wasn't such a focus on the cinematography, the film would lose a little of the spectacle that makes it so special.
In the end The Hateful 8 is a spectacle, that should be experienced the way it was intended to, in a 70mm film showing. The film is beautiful, funny, unpredictable, and extremely violent, but it all blends in a very clean way. Tarantino has once again made a great film, and considering his resume, it seems logical to say that he is one of the best modern directors. If you like Tarantino's previous films, or films similar to Tarantino's it would be a good idea to check out The Hateful 8.