Epic Character Driven Masterpiece! Sit Back & Enjoy!

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 2015)

Tarantino's 8th movie proper is without doubt one of the finest westerns of the modern era, far out shining his previous effort 'Django' and running alongside 'The Unforgiven' as possibly one of the most beautifully shot, tense & darkest ever made. Stripping away layers of each character as he goes along without time restraints (thankfully) what we have here is more akin to a theatre experience than an outright movie. Don't expect guns a blazing & shallow one liners, this is almost 3 hours of excellent character actors doing what they do best, inhabiting their roles and wearing their scars until we feel every bit of tension & doubt that they do. The Hateful Eight mixes the directors previous quieter movies, Reservoir Dogs & Jackie Brown, throws in a plot that you think you've seen before (The Outer Limits anyone?) adds in a blizzard that keeps the atmosphere claustrophobic throughout (There is no escape for these people, this is something we are reminded of throughout thanks to the wonderful sound design) verbally assaults it's viewers with venomous dialogue and sharp humour then tosses everything together in the blender as only Tarantino can. The end result is a perfectly well executed, genuine bona-fide masterpiece, something that is in short supply of late. What makes The Hateful Eight superior to other recent genre efforts is the directors ability to let his actors have the breathing space they need to deliver their lines to such exciting levels. Kurt Russell & Samuel L Jackson provide the meat of the 1st half of the film, whilst the incredible Walton Goggins & the rest of this fine ensemble cast really shine in the 2nd half, so much so that you don't realise that a gun isn't even fired in this movie until over half way through the almost 3 hour length, Channing Tatum fans will probably be very disappointed with this film, and that's no bad thing! It's been said before who needs action when the dialogue is this good, it just is! The second half of the movie when the guns finally do come out of their holsters is an exciting blend of Hitchcock Mystery Theatre & Balls to the wall blood soaked mayhem more in tone to something seen in a horror film rather than a western but it works as it always does. The directors influences work overtime here from 70's Italian splatter westerns to the more artful touches of Sergio Leone & Eastwood, this is helped greatly by a wonderful score by the legendary Ennio Morricone & the directors always appreciative eye for a beautiful tracking shot or just leaving the camera Static for the right amount of time to soak up the scene. Tarantino may have his critics but there is no denying his amazing ability to make everything in his movies seem perfectly at place even when you think it shouldn't be. This may possibly be his finest looking film to date. Although maybe not to everybody tastes, The Hateful Eight is a skillfully designed exercise in craft. Incredible performances all round, Goggins especially delivers a no holds barred 'gloves off' performance (Think Boyd without the TV restraints, but with some great emotional depth not previously allowed in that particular role) The Directing, score, sound & cinematography are all as good as anything i've seen in the last 5 years and are certainly as good as anything the director has done previous. if you like your westerns with a slow build & a sly wink you can do no better. Watch it!!