Not Nearly Tarantino's Best, but Still Entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2016)

While The Hateful Eight is nowhere near Tarantino's best work, it's still a very enjoyable piece of art. I think that's what Tarantino makes, works of art. Art is always up for interpretation and The Hateful Eight is really no different. Saying it's not his best work doesn't mean much considering he has made some of the most significant and influential films of the past 25 years. Even though I would probably rank it 6th among all of his films, there's plenty to love about the film.
First and foremost, the performances are great, in particular Jennifer Jason Leigh and Samuel L. Jackson. Although I will say, Tim Roth's character had to be written for Christoph Waltz in mind because his character feels a lot like Waltz' character in Django or Inglorious Basterds. Tarantino's script is good but it doesn't leap off the pages like his other films do. I can't really see it having too many lines that are quoted for years to come like Django or Pulp Fiction. The rest of the eight (or really 9 people) that fill the cabin during a massive blizzard have some good moments, but no scene will really blow you away. Tarantino's ultra violent style is present, but the film's structure is much more in the vain of Reservoir Dogs than it is Django or Inglorious Basterds. I really expected this film to be a 3 hour version of the pub scene in Inglorious Basterds, and it wasn't. The tension just wasn't there. As much as I loved Ennio Morricone's score, it didn't really add to the film in the way I hoped.
I'm not sure if it was a lack of development in the characters, (because you really only get to know half of them), or maybe it's just that my expectations were so high, but The Hateful Eight turned out to be a good but not great outing at the movies. Tarantino does however do a great job at setting the scene throughout the film in terms of the blizzard and freezing atmosphere the characters are surrounded in. So much so that the man sitting next to me mentioned to his friend that he was feeling cold just by watching the film.
The film presents itself as a mystery in the same vein as Clue or even Murder by Death and it does have some surprises along the way where you find yourself guessing throughout. With that said, I'm not sure the result is worth the 3 hour wait. I'm not totally sure Tarantino needed to make it that long. The Hateful Eight is worth seeing though, but maybe it's a film you see at your house where you can pause it every chapter instead of one long viewing.
+Tarantino setting the scene and scope of the film very well
+Performances, particularly Jackson and Leigh
+Morricone's fantastic score
+Some surprises
-Not as memorable as some of his other films
-Length may not be warranted
7.7/10