The Longest, but Perhaps Best-Told (not best) of Tarantino's Films

Rating: 8/10 (25 December 2015)

The Hateful Eight is Tarantino's latest play on genre, his first "true" western. Borrowing from classic Hollywood story-telling, and from Westerns in particular, The Hateful Eight has what might be called Tarantino's most mature and developed plot (though mature is not how I would describe the movie). This development comes at the cost of brevity, and this maturity comes at the cost of some of the fun that one expects from Tarantino, so how one views this film really will dependant on one's values as it concerns his films. It almost feels less like a Tarantino film, and more like a traditional film made with Tarantino's style. As well, the pacing in the film's first half is slower than his usual pace, but this is not wasted time, as the first half's scenes are still great, and the build-up really pays off in the second half. I for one (a big fan of his work), thought it was excellent, though it's lesser amount of fun does place it behind his very best work. The technical aspects are executed perfectly, and if you have the opportunity see it in 70mm. Glorious is exactly what it is, and the technology is excellently utilized. Not just beautiful in its stunning landscapes, the film uses the very wide aspect ratio in many two-shots and uses the space well in multiple planes in other shots to keep several objects on screen simultaneously. The acting was great by all in the relatively small cast, with no weak links. The musical score was great, as was the production design, which brought the film's primary locale to life. Slightly less entertaining, but more developed, than what I expect from a Tarantino film, The Hateful Eight may not be exactly what I was expecting when I walked in, but I left the theatre having seen a visual experience, had a lot of fun, and having seen a great film.