Brutal, disturbing, tackles the real issues about violence.

Rating: Null/10 (24 December 2015)

I loved Inglorious Basterds, and while I liked Dgango, so much of it I found to be just really messy, overlong and overall it just hasn't fared so well with me over time. When I heard of The Hateful Eight's runtime, I was concerned. I was afraid that like Django, it would run for far too long. What's interesting about it is that unlike with most Tarantino films, it started off kind of unengaging. I spent the first hour really developing an investment in these characters, so it isn't until after its first hour that I was completely on board with it, and from then on it sailed pretty smoothly. I don't think its runtime is a problem at all because it takes a while for it to totally connect, but when it does it only gets more enthralling. It's an oddly paced film, even for Tarantino, but it all seems to work. It's as if he wanted a film that was basically the extended version of the tavern scene from Inglorious Basterds. Moreso than with Django and similarly to Inglorious Basterds, I feel like there's a lot of thoughtful weight to the dialogue and what it means for the overarching thematic issues that Tarantino has been interested in exploring recently. I think Django, while kind of fun, is sort of meaningless. Here, I think he tackles the real issues of what violence is and what it can do. It's not a pretty film, and as a result the violence doesn't seem as cartoonish as the violence from Basterds or Django. It really, really hits here, so I'm not entirely surprised it isn't as well-reviewed as those two. It doesn't feel big or long just for the sake of it, there's a density here that will need to be further explored. It's a hard film to like. if seen on the surface I think many may have problems with all the violence, in particular towards Jennifer Jason Leigh.But that character didn't have to be female. It really didn't, and in the usual films of this type, it's usually a male. The fact that it is a female gives the proceedings so much more relevance and, as someone who was fearing having to witness that considering I'm always very critical of violence towards women and how it is portrayed, I was surprised at the levels the film was working at. In particular the final scene with Jennifer Jason Leigh is particularly brutal and disturbing, but it cemented the kind of issues I was sure Tarantino is wanting to hit at. Jennifer Jason Leigh strangled and choking to death as two men are hysterically laughing? On a visceral level, it's powerful, but kind of encompasses everything the film is trying to do and say about violence against certain groups.
In terms of its ensemble, really fantastic and one of the best casts he's ever assembled. The standout is definitely Jennifer Jason Leigh (and whether she is supporting or leading is another question). Overall I think this joins Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds as one of Tarantino's best films, and I do wish it wasn't getting as much criticism but at the same time I get it. In that respect, it's a little like The Wolf of Wall Street and (considering that I know it will get a lot of vitriol thrown towards it, I hope like Wolf it's a little re-evaluated with time.