Another Home Run from Tarantino

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2016)

The Hateful Eight is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh among others. It really is a star filled cast.
First of all props to Tarantino for releasing this film even after the script was leaked back in the day. Thank you for releasing this movie. I have to say, I applaud his efforts. I really do. He is really trying to pay homage to the westerns of the 1960's and just from the opening you get that feel. Everything from the locations to the shots makes this feel like a legitimate western. As much as I love Tarantino's previous film, Django Unchained, it didn't really feel like a western to me, but a really good Tarantino film. The Hateful Eight feels like a western. Something that really helps add to that feel is the score by Ennio Morricone, who composed the scores for many westerns back in the day, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Now, did the movie HAVE to be released in 70mm? No, I don't think so, but the Roadshow showings this movie had and the effort Tarantino put into it makes me respect him even more because that's just the love he has for cinema. He makes every movie of his so cool, but it seems effortless and that's one of the many things I love about him as a filmmaker.
Every performance in the film is spectacular, but I really particularly enjoyed the performances by Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Walton Goggins. They were great in the film. Some people I heard saying this movie was boring, which at least for me it really wasn't. The movie is 3 hours long, it did not feel that long, at all. I can see why people would find the lack of locations maybe boring for them, but really I find that lack of locations the reason why this movie succeeds for me. Most of the movie takes place in a cabin, which works great because you feel the isolation, you feel the tension building up to the climax of the film. The use of location was great, it actually felt cold as I sat in the theater and watched this. I love that they filmed in real snow, as well. Every single chapter in the film is great and the story does advance rather slowly, but this is a movie that relies on that tension that is a result from that slow pace and from the amazing dialogue.
I found the cinematography great, the direction was great, the performances as well. There is to me but one, I don't want to call it a flaw, because it really isn't, but it's more of an observation, but I want to mention it. Without spoiling anything from Django Unchained, I want to relate something from that film to this one. You can say that the "meat" of the film in Django is everything that happens until the last few minutes of the film. And what happens at the end of Django (which is actually great, by the way) feels just like a cherry on top of the film. It doesn't really advance the plot anymore, but it gives the viewer a certain kind of satisfaction. The same goes for The Hateful Eight. You are constantly trying to figure out throughout the first chapters of the story, who the bad guy or guys is/are, and it's pretty cool, it's much like playing Clue with Tarantino characters and dialogue. So as the plot advances, you realize this person isn't the bad guy and then this person and so on, so you start discarding characters, but there is a point in the movie where just abruptly find out who the bad guys are and their real motivation. After that, in Tarantino fashion, you know what's coming. What happens next feels like the movie is almost over, but the movie gives the viewer a certain satisfaction. Now, like I said, this isn't really a complaint or a flaw but it's an observation in the last Tarantino films.
There is a part of the movie where Daisy starts playing the guitar and singing a song, I loved every single thing about that. It was directed perfectly and the tension just starts building up. It's one of my favorite scenes in the movie.
That being said, I loved the Hateful Eight. I am sure I even liked it more than Django. You can nitpick all you want and you may or may not like Quentin Tarantino as a filmmaker, but you can't deny the fact that the man puts so much love and effort into his films. That has to add something to it. Like many Tarantino films, the Hateful Eight doesn't feel like a movie, it's an experience, kind of trip back in time to the great films and times of the past. The Hateful Eight is a great film.