Tarantino's weakest but really is that saying much?

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2016)

I really liked an awful lot about 'The Hateful Eight'. It is a film for the Tarantino fanatic and while weaker in other areas it does deliver his excellent dialogue. It also really marks some new nuances in his abilities as a storyteller which are interesting to look at. The problem is that it is a big letdown after the masterpieces 'Inglourious Basterds' and 'Django'. It's still an interesting film but it just needs a lot more polish in setting up the overall story and how it relates to it's characters. There's a lot of presence and mood in 'The Hateful Eight' it just needs a little bit more...
I feel as if this film exhibits the least amount of character development we have ever seen in a Tarantino film. While the dialogue is interesting and pops there just isn't as much interest on my part. Here's what I liked most about the picture. The dialogue is outstanding as always. There's just a rhythm and poetry to it that is as effective as the best moments in Tarantino's most beloved works. My personal favorite moment of the picture is when we get to see the dissection of Samuel L Jackson's Major Marquis Warren. He shares an exchange with Bruce Dern's character that has all the tendencies of a great Tarantino scene. There's a lot of humor and build up while dealing with the darker nihilistic sides of the character. It's theatrical and grandiose but also very organic. Jackson rightfully takes his place as Tarantino's muse. The film is very literary I noticed. In fact Tarantino comes to a point where he narrates long stretches of it himself. It's fascinating to see this evolution. 'The Hateful Eight' probably would work better as a stage play than as a film.
Unfortunately aside from Jackson's character the film doesn't really have a lot of character development and it hurts the picture. It is especially noticeable in the crucial characters of 'Hangman' Ruth and Daisy. I am sure that this probably wasn't Tarantino's intent but unfortunately 'The Hateful Eight' comes across as a fairly misogynist film. Jennifer Jason Leigh's Daisy ends up pretty much being a punching bag the entire time and it's sort of depressing and over the top. The plot vaguely seems to suggest her character is the most evil of the bunch but frankly I don't see it. You see an awful lot of horrible stuff happen from each and every character and I don't see why Daisy has any special emphasis. If Tarantino had developed her as much as he did his other villains this wouldn't have seemed as bad. We just know nothing about her and so I don't care really. Do not take this as me complaining about Tarantino's flair for gore and violence. Tarantino's most enjoyable iconography has come from adding dramatic flair to gore. The problem is gore with out any sort of mythos or metaphor or commentary is just boring and can be off putting. If 'Hangman' Ruth or Daisy had more of a back story or if Daisy herself had been the leader of the Domergue gang this would have all been solved and I'd probably be more enthusiastic about the film.
It's one of his weaker efforts but I liked a lot about it still. It's hard not to like even a weak Tarantino film especially one with this great a cast.