Five-Word Review: Compelling, Tense, Exquisite, Wonderfully Acted

Rating: 9/10 (30 October 2016)

The eight Tarantino film is another Western, this one set after Django Unchained in a snowy cabin in Wyoming. Eight people, including bounty hunters, a sheriff, a hangman, and an old general, find themselves locked up together with tensions rising and violence looming.
The Hateful Eight is premium Tarantino. It's got every trademark and subtle touch that you'd associate with the writer/director: bloody violence, extended scenes of hard-boiled, effortlessly compelling dialogue, fantastic tension, and Samuel L. Jackson, to name but a few. And talking of Jackson, this is probably his best role since Pulp Fiction, with some glorious monologues and an intriguing character background perfect for the actor's commanding screen presence. The widely-praised Jennifer Jason Leigh is superb, too, whilst Kurt Russell is fantastic as a John Wayne/Jeff Bridges hybrid. A delightful dandy performance from Tim Roth and Walton Goggins' comedic Southern persona round out a flawless cast.
Every single scene is just amazing to watch, even when all the characters are doing is sitting in a wagon idly talking, and this is clearly Tarantino's strength. The plot is finely crafted, with a genuinely intriguing mystery playing out as the enthralling story develops. The setting of a cramped space hearkens back to Reservoir Dogs, and the spellbinding suspense is on a level with that, especially as all the characters are so well-fleshed-out due to the brilliant script.
It's hard to praise The Hateful Eight enough as it's clearly a passion project for Tarantino, right down to the outstandingly scene-setting Ennio Morricone score. I really wish I'd been able to see the full Roadshow version complete with overture and intermission.
The fact that this is Tarantino's fifth-best film is more a testament to the quality of Django, Basterds, Pulp Fiction, and Reservoir Dogs than a slight towards this. There's a feeling that it may not stay so long in the memory as the others, and it has an occasional tendency to prioritise violence and gore. Still, it's a must- watch for any Tarantino fan and one of the best films of 2015. 89/100