Delightful Eight

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2016)

Quentin Tarantino's eighth film is set right after the Civil War, and features plenty of very colourful characters: bounty hunters, an infamous most wanted female criminal, a wannabe sheriff, a hangman, a cow puncher, a former confederate General, among a few more. In the middle of a harsh blizzard, the fates of all these characters will cross paths as they find refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery. However, as they get to know each other more, and as they find out what brought each one of them to that place, a captivating, although slightly predictable story filled with deception, betrayal and murder will unfold.
The film opens with a lengthy and beautiful shot of a stone cross planted in the middle of a snowy Wyoming landscape, with Ennio Morriccone's dramatically intense music playing. The next few scenes feature a stagecoach in the middle of the blizzard, with a few crazy encounters during which the audience returns to a somehow familiar territory, which they'll be undoubtedly looking for: epic and tense conversations between colourful characters in pure Tarantino fashion.
After the first few chapters (yes, the film is divided in chapters), the first few characters that we got to meet mercifully find refuge in Minnie's Haberdashery. Needless to say, most of the film's remaining runtime will be spent in those closed quarters.
Mr. Tarantino makes it clear right from the start: he hasn't lost his touch for wonderful direction. The first few chapters set in the wintry Wyoming landscapes are amazing to watch, as every shot is cleverly calculated, the photography is stellar, and the weather is so well depicted that when the stagecoach finally reaches Minnie's Haberdashery, I felt relieved for the freezing characters. Those first few scenes were some of my favourite in the entire picture.
Setting a major part of the film's duration in the same room was a risky choice, but the set is so beautifully lit and decorated, it actually pays off.
In terms of storyline, it would be easy to draw a few comparisons with Reservoir Dogs for a few aspects: the way the story is broken down into chapters, which play with chronology in a similar fashion, the closed quarters setting, as well as all these characters suspecting one another of not being who they pretend to be. That being said, The Hateful Eight's storyline is a bit more linear and doesn't offer the kind of plot twists that Reservoir Dogs' story did. That being said, they're different movies, and comparing these two films would be like comparing apples and oranges. My point is, do not go in there expecting Tarantino's most elaborate and original storyline. That's it. And that takes nothing away from the film's numerous qualities.
The film's strongest asset is its characters. It does take a great writer to create incredible characters, and it sure takes just as talented and enthusiastic of a cast to bring them to life and make them shine on the big screen. We're talking about brilliance here, from the dialogue to the demeanour, everyone greatly impresses here, with Walton Goggins and Jennifer Jason Leigh stealing the show on many occasions. Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, and, of course, Samuel L. Jackson are all unforgettable, and each drew genuine laughter from the crowd. Unbelievable performances here.
Even though this is not my favourite Tarantino film, The Hateful Eight is one hell of a bloody, honest good time. It's definitely worth seeing on the big screen (it was shot in beautiful 70mm, and it shows). Good, light-hearted character-driven picture with both funny and tense moments, a clever use of political undertones and a superbly depicted and photographed blizzard setting. Not a masterpiece, but definitely a treat to watch.