Not His Best, but Solid

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2015)

Got to see Tarantino's The Hateful Eight today in 70mm! For the uninitiated, most movies are, or rather were, shot with 35mm. However, the trend today is overwhelmingly becoming digital photography, which can be effective but is also inundating modern cinema with depressingly blurry camera pans and other adverse effects. Anyway, Tarantino's film was shot with 65mm film (the extra 5mm comes from the accompanying audio track), and the difference between 35mm and 65mm is like 720p vs. 4k; significantly higher image quality and resolution.
To get the full experience, you'd want to see it projected through an actual 70mm film projector. This is easier said than done since the cost of getting the proper equipment reportedly runs $80,000 per auditorium. To that end, the Weinstein Company has helped outfit a handful of theaters around the country with said equipment, and if you want a truly premium experience I encourage you to seek one out. There's at least one theater in most major cities.
However, as admirable as this audacious Roadshow is, I question Tarantino's choice of movie to do it with. On paper a Western sounds great to shoot with 70mm film; vast landscapes, grizzled faces, close-ups of holstered pistols with clenched hands around their grips Unfortunately, most of The Hateful Eight takes place in a relatively small and dim interior. The movie looks nice, but not nearly as good as it would've with outside daylight bringing out every crisp detail. The contrast seemed a touch high, as well. I'm thinking of one shot in particular of a stagecoach moving alongside a stream outside. The snow is very white, and the stagecoach is very dark. Not much middle ground. I hate to say it but I'm looking forward to The Revenant's cinematography more now.
Tarantino's well known for his dialogue, and it doesn't let down here. I'm not sure it was intentional, but at one point several characters are accused of wrongdoing. I noticed two of the three were actors that came under suspicion from Tarantino for leaking his script of The Hateful Eight early. Very quickly I started noting parallels between the characters' defenses and the actors' real life defenses when accused of the script leak. Maybe it's coincidence, but that added some fascinating depth to the scene for me.
Direction is top notch too, and even at 3 hours the movie doesn't get boring. Maybe slow in some spots, but never boring. That being said, the story itself isn't particularly compelling or amazing. There's a very "whodunit" feel to the whole affair, with a sense of mystery evoking And Then There Were None or maybe The Thing. The buildup is better than the underwhelming payoff, sadly, but it's by no means unsatisfying.
Performances make up for story shortcomings. Kurt Russell, Walton Goggins (glad to see him getting some bigger roles after Justified), Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, and even Channing Tatum are all in top form. I was happy to see Zoë Bell get a small part too. Michael Madsen just recycles his old performances, however, but he was the only low point among the otherwise terrific ensemble cast. Similarly, Morricone lends his talents to great effect. It's not The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but it's still a solid mix between The Untouchables and Two Mules for Sister Sara.
This isn't Tarantino's best movie, but it's probably one of my favorite 2015 releases alongside Mad Max, Ex Machina, Rogue Nation, and Sicario. I'd put it ahead of Death Proof and Jackie Brown, and about on par with Reservoir Dogs. Do yourself a favor and seek out one of the 70mm Roadshow locations if possible. It wouldn't be the end of the world to see it on a digital projector, but the image quality will degrade somewhat and you'll lose a big part of what makes the experience special.
8/10