An addition to Tarantino's masterpieces

Rating: 9/10 (29 April 2016)

Quentin Tarantino is once again responsible for another whodunit subgenre with as much gore, foul language and the n-word galore. These of course are the highlights of any Tarantino film. If you had been waiting for his latest cinematic tour-de-force, you will not be disappointed.
The Hateful Eight is a situation film laden with heavy dialogue and tossing around of the n-word by Caucasian characters. It should in no way be looked at through that scope alone though, for the screenplay in general is neither politically correct nor apologetic. Tarantino sets up a simple plot with a lot of emphasis on dialogue and subplot while taking enough time to develop his ever malicious characters. There is seldom any good guy or bad guy in a Tarantino flick; the last man standing after an explicit bloodbath is usually the hero of the story.
Fate forces eight strangers to share a cabin located on a mountain pass as a heavy blizzard licks the lands of post-civil war Wyoming. It all begins with a bounty hunter of the name John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) who is transporting Daisy Domergue; a fugitive to be hanged, crossing paths with another bounty hunter (Samuel L. Jackson) with no name aside from "black fella", "the n-word" etc. who is also on his way to the town of Red Rock to deliver his kill and collect bounty. The Hangman allows the stranded lad aboard his stagecoach and they make for Red Rock, prior to taking on another passenger who claims to be the town's newly appointed sheriff.
As the blizzard grows on them however, they seek shelter in a cabin known as Minnie's Haberdashery. Here, they meet four lodgers of which Joe Gage, a cowboy, Bob, a Mexican, Oswald Mobray, another hangman and lastly a veteran of the battle of Baton Rouge. The tension is omnipresent, for each of these individuals knows better than to trust the next man.After someone only seen by Domergue poisons the coffee, the real confrontation begins between the eight rascals.
If you've ever seen any Quentin Tarantino film, then you know that they heavily rely on dialogue, narration and retrospection. The Hateful Eight is no exception; we learn about the characters as they learn about each other, since they are usually brought together by fate. A great portion of the film takes place indoors and it is very talky as mentioned.
One of most attractive aspects of the film however is the cinematography. Having been shot in 70 mm ultra-Panavision, the wide lenses capture the snow covered western landscape with sharp detail and a crisp color scheme topped with a warm overtone. The image is as large as should be. The cinematographer here is Bob Richardson and he brings as many wide shots as close ups to enhance the story.
I don't understand people who still complain about Tarantino's art. Truly his films are protracted and the stories are extreme but that's only because he has reputation for greatness which allows studios to leave the final cut in his hands. I wouldn't say his latest project is a classic (in contrast with his other work) but it is definitely a masterpiece. The score is partially nonexistent and it works for the story while the acting is the real winner here.
Although subpar to Tarantino's own standards,The Hateful Eight is an amusing exercise in vulgarity and gore -two recurrent themes in the director's body of work which are not always met with universal approval, and one of the immortal high points of modern cinema. Do not believe in the few who are bashing it, this film is mostly for the Tarantino fans who know what to expect from him while the rest will feel cheated as the end credits roll. Definitely go see this one.