The Hateful Eight (2015)

[Plain Old Tele]

Discuss.

[Kevin Bacon]

Man, movie's been out a whole day and nothing? 

 

A slight step down from Django but very good nonetheless. It does take a very long, leisurely route to the finale--but once it got there, it delivered and then some. Did an excellent of establishing each of these men as indeed hateful monsters who are guilty of racism, murder, torture, and rape (in a flashback that possibly rivals the Zed scene as the most unnerving thing Tarantino's put in a movie).

 

But, likewise, I struggled to really connect to any of the characters enough to be invested in the violence until after it happened. Yet, much like Reservoir Dogs, the movie shines in the aftermath of said violence, making unlikely allies and giving genuine surprises, building that connection that had been absent before. 

 

It must be said that while there was no show-stealer performance begging for all the awards like Waltz and Dicaprio, Goggins and Jason Leigh are both fantastic, so good that they threaten to outdo Jackson, who's perfected this type of character to the point that it's hardly even impressive anymore. Goggins wasn't stretching too far from Boyd Crowder, but it's so great to see him getting the kind of showcase he got here on the silver screen. 

 

9/10

[Jim Shorts]

Could have left out a chapter or two and still come to the desired conclusion.  Beginning really dragged for me.

[Cmasterclay]

Huh, I sorta felt the complete opposite of Bacon and Shorts, here. I loved this movie's first half- an absolute masterclass in building tension and suspense through staging, dialogue, and character work. Some of Tarantino's best work- a thrilling piece of cinema masterwork, with some of his best dialogue. Really fascinating exploration of twisted humanity. Funny as hell, and dark as hell. And once the action finally explodes, it seems like a right ole payoff, with some nice QT explosions of violence- but then it isn't. It turns into Resevoir Hostel. Obviously, I don't mind Tarantino's form of gratuitous violence- IB and Django are two of my favorite films of the millenium so far. But this last  half hour is Tarantino at his worst tendencies- violence unfounded in any sort of emotional or coherent backing. In Django and IB, every exploded head and massive firefight made sense on an emotional level- as cathartic releases of developed emotional beats and character decisions. This felt like QT wanted to see how many heads and legs he could blow off, and it didn't have any regard for the story. It's a climax in terms of violence, but it doesn't FEEL like it builds anywhere, and it isn't any sort of climax in the tone/emotional sense at all- and that sucks, because the two and a half hours spent building to it rocked. A step down from Django and IB, but there's a ton to like here. Excellent cast, with Goggins and Leigh as highlights. Beautifully shot. Dialogue is scorching hot. And the score......best of the year, hands down. 

[Kevin Bacon]

4 hours ago, Cmasterclay said:

Huh, I sorta felt the complete opposite of Bacon and Shorts, here. I loved this movie's first half- an absolute masterclass in building tension and suspense through staging, dialogue, and character work. Some of Tarantino's best work- a thrilling piece of cinema masterwork, with some of his best dialogue. Really fascinating exploration of twisted humanity. Funny as hell, and dark as hell. And once the action finally explodes, it seems like a right ole payoff, with some nice QT explosions of violence- but then it isn't. It turns into Resevoir Hostel. Obviously, I don't mind Tarantino's form of gratuitous violence- IB and Django are two of my favorite films of the millenium so far. But this last  half hour is Tarantino at his worst tendencies- violence unfounded in any sort of emotional or coherent backing. In Django and IB, every exploded head and massive firefight made sense on an emotional level- as cathartic releases of developed emotional beats and character decisions. This felt like QT wanted to see how many heads and legs he could blow off, and it didn't have any regard for the story. It's a climax in terms of violence, but it doesn't FEEL like it builds anywhere, and it isn't any sort of climax in the tone/emotional sense at all- and that sucks, because the two and a half hours spent building to it rocked. A step down from Django and IB, but there's a ton to like here. Excellent cast, with Goggins and Leigh as highlights. Beautifully shot. Dialogue is scorching hot. And the score......best of the year, hands down. 

I was actually underwhelmed by the violence itself when it broke out, but it was that last chapter when everybody was dead or already dying that made it worthwhile to me. I'd agree that the actual violence felt underwhelming and hollow, but that had more to do with my lack of connection with really any of the characters by that point. By the time the violence actually starts, we've just found out that one of our two "good guys" is actually a fucking monster who's hardly better than the racist scum he opposes, and the other is amongst the very first killed off. I didn't feel like I had any reason to really care about most of these remaining characters, which hurt the tension of anybody dying. Compare that to, say, the tavern scene in Inglourious Basterds (which for my money is QT's best movie), where the tension is so high because we want these main characters to get out of here alive and carry out their plan. The only true goal our characters had were all pretty low-stakes in the scheme of things. Once there's true motive there, once we start to really learn something about these people as a clear direction comes into focus, and everybody's just trying to make it out alive, that's when the movie most shined.

 

Which isn't to deny that the first two and a half hours or so were bad, mind you, they were still wildly entertaining character building and stage-setting. I'd actually argue that the part of the movie that let down the most was the initial outburst of violence, because if that emotional/plot-based incentive had been behind it, the whole movie would've been amazing. And if there had been some form of clear direction from the outset, some purpose beyond "get Daisy to Red Rock to hang", I think the whole thing would've worked better.

 

But let's not forget that I thought the movie ruled still. There were just some things that kept it from its full potential, same as Django (the awkwardly-paced final act, in Django's case).

[Cmasterclay]

Nicely said. I would generally agree completely that's why the movie rang hollow for me. It's hard to put into words, but even though I thought the characters were all terrificily acted and written, I just didn't care about their fates whatsoever. Part of that has to do with each's moral reprenhensibility, but even the really, really "bad" characters like Daisy, I didn't feel anything for her death. It just didn't seem to build to any sort of emotional climax. So even though the first act was spectacularly made and absolutely absorbing, it didn't do it's job in laying down the framework for a satisfying emotional payoff. It's sorta weird- it does such a wonderful job building tension and stakes, and then releases that tension in exactly the way that would make sense.....but it still doesn't work, for some reason. 

[lilmac]

B+

 

Squarely in Jackie Brown territory in terms of quality. I felt like I was watching a play. Ironic given the expansive 70mm format which I felt was overrated. It was like watching 0.75xIMAX. The colors seemed richer but I thought it was a bit overrated.  The intermission was unnecessary but I get what he was trying to create. The highlight by far were the actors. You get your typical Tarantino high quality dialogue here and the actora were chewing it up. One of SLJ's best performances in my opinion. I thought the film was a bit heavy-handed with the racism angle and that's coming from a minority. It permeated the storyline in a way that was distracting. I got the sense that it added meat to what is actually a featherweight plot. The violence and gore was also typical Quentin. My audience though was hip to the fact that this is par for the course for a QT film. I did see a very old lady in the audience. I wonder how she felt. Anyway, good movie. Enjoyable. Not great like most of his other films. I hope this isn't his last.  

 

 

 

[Plain Old Tele]

Given my ambivalence towards most of what Tarantino has done in the 21st century (liked some, hated some, very mixed on the others), I was surprised that I really enjoyed this. I don't think he's made a great movie in the last 15 years, but here at least he's got the material down pat, it doesn't feel forced or over-reaching... it's just a straight-up nasty-edged genre movie. Good. 

[Blankments]

After several fun ventures into the revenge thriller, Quentin Tarantino returns to the simple yet complex genre-bending filmmaking that began his career. The Hateful Eight is a beautiful movie in more ways than one. First off, a comment on the 70mm presentation. It's simply incredible to see film again, with all the gorgeous sound and detail it brings to the cinema. The playbill will be something I cherish as a memorabilia treasure for years to come. But as for the film itself, let's just say that in revitalizing a lost medium, Tarantino has revitalized his own career with a film quite unlike anything else out there, even other films by himself.

 

Don't get me wrong, the film is still distinctly Tarantino, but the structure and characters feel different - more real - than they usually do. The ensemble cast is incredible; not a weak one in the bunch. Special props, in order, to Goggins, Jackson, Leigh, and Tatum. Jackson proves once again he should only be allowed to work with Tarantino, and Leigh's performance strengthens a phenomenal character to placed alongside Hans Landa and Calvin Candie in years to come. I can't talk about Tatum without spoilers, but he continues his rise of delivering fantastic performances in every film. The star in this is really Goggins, whose character manages to be lovable, pathetic, despicable, and one you just wanna see succeed all at once.

 

Tarantino's script is his most play-like yet, but that's fine, as the structure of The Hateful Eight allows the first half to be all play-like, but the second half goes really cinematic. The cinematography is gorgeous and lush despite being set in winter, and Ennio Morricone's score is instantly iconic. Tarantino has fun with his actors and his twisting plot, and despite being Tarantino's longest film (with an over 3 hour long cut for the Roadshow version), it goes by quickly. More movies need an intermission like this one. All in all, The Hateful Eight is an incredible work, and one of Tarantino's best. A

[yads]

I enjoyed this a lot. After reading some reviews I was expecting a nihilistic, misanthropic hate film... and I didn't find it that way at all. It was ultimately about a brother's love for his sister and a black man and white man finding common ground and mutual respect. OK, and some nihilism and misanthropy thrown in.

 

Plus it was a relief that Tarantino didn't give himself another hideous cameo, with or without an "Australian" accent.

 

 

[Plain Old Tele]

Well, he *was* the narrator... but yes, the less he's on screen, the better. 

[The Panda]

It's a really good, if not overly long, genre movie.  It's definitely not the best of Tarantino's work, but it's not the worst either.  The build up was the best part, and although the ending is quite cinematic, I thought the conclusion was rushed once things got going.

 

Great score and great cinematography, definitely the technical highlights of the film.

 

Weirdly, for as much build up as there is, the pay-off is kind of non-existent which stops it from being as good as it could.

 

All the actors do a great job, especially Leigh's character.  She was very dynamic and deserves the Oscar win.

 

The film is a solid B/B+ for me

[Plain Old Tele]

Huh, I guess I'm the minority in terms of JJL's performance. Not that she was bad -- at all! -- but I thought Jackson, Goggins, and even Russell did more. 

[yads]

4 hours ago, Obi-Wan Telemachos said:

Well, he *was* the narrator... but yes, the less he's on screen, the better. 

To be honest I didn't even realise he was doing the narration. Which I guess is a good thing as it didn't pull me out of the movie (like his every cameo does).

[Plain Old Tele]

3 minutes ago, yads said:

To be honest I didn't even realise he was doing the narration. Which I guess is a good thing as it didn't pull me out of the movie (like his every cameo does).

 

I thought the narrator sounded familiar but I had to check IMDB afterwards for confirmation. 

[Kevin Bacon]

4 hours ago, Obi-Wan Telemachos said:

Huh, I guess I'm the minority in terms of JJL's performance. Not that she was bad -- at all! -- but I thought Jackson, Goggins, and even Russell did more. 

I'd put her over Russell and probably along with SLJ. Goggins was MVP in my eyes. 

[Blankments]

Surprised you guys didn't notice Tarantino narrating; I recognized his voice instantly and thought it was hilarious of all the chapter titles to explain, he did "Daisy's Got a Secret." One of my biggest laughs of the movie in a very meta way.

[4815162342]

Really should have been called The Hateful 10.

 

Well, Hateful 9, OB seemed like a decent bloke.

[Kevin Bacon]

Someone mentioned it in the other thread, but yeah, the Mexican was a cartoon character. Took me right out of the movie when he first spoke. 

[Ezen Baklattan]

It's really fun! Tarantino gets to have a lot of fun with character and tension, and each reaction and moment feels juicy and exciting. The atypical western format really works in creating a unique, mystery style feel with enough wit, excitement, and tension to keep you guessing til the very end, especially since Tarantino covered a lot of said ground via Django Unchained. The characters really shine and get a lot to do, and Walton Goggins becoming a Tarantino-versioned everyman feels like an inspired choice. Roth and Leigh also steal the show a great deal, and Russell and Jackson do plenty to give the film solid Tarantino grounding.