The Hateful Eight

Not to be mistaken with Adam Sandler's The Ridiculous Six, Quentin Tarantino's eighth film was mired in controversy long before principal shooting began. Allegedly there was a script leak, and he was furious and threatened not to make the film at all. That might have been a good thing had he moved on to something a little different. The Hateful Eight is an homage to the Western genre that he holds so dear. 2012's Django Unchained was our last taste of Tarantino, and his style is quirky and inimitable, but perhaps he's become complacent behind his reputation.

The story follows a group of semi-strangers who find themselves snowed in at Minnie's Haberdashery in the post-Civil War era in the mountains of Wyoming. Nearly every character has a secret or a secret identity, which convolutes the fidelity of the story in the first place. Everyone seems to know each other by reputation, and they spend more time introducing themselves and selling their back stories than they do having the trademark rhetorical banter that makes Tarantino unique in the first place. Anyhow, every single character is sinister and seedy. There's the bounty hunter, the criminal, the hangman, the sheriff, the major from the Union army, the general from the Confederate army, the mysterious "Bob", and the cow-puncher. A few other characters make an entrance (or exit) in extravagant fashion, but it all lacks any drama or chemistry. Each character fails to deliver anything more than some flamboyance and snappy dialogue (that no self-respecting post-Civil War bad ass would use). After the tenuous first act devoid of any action, we begin seeing the violence in the men (and woman) come out, and Tarantino gets his gratuitous blood-fest started. As their number dwindle, we are left guessing who is who? And who will survive? But ultimately, who really cares? Tarantino tries to out-clever himself, and the script is really just amateur given the intriguing premise.

The ensemble cast is a who's who of past Tarantino films. Samuel Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, James Parks, Walton Goggins, and Zoe Bell have worked with the director at least once prior. The new additions are Channing Tatum, Bruce Dern, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Damian Bichir, and none capitalize on the opportunity. Although the tone is one that is starkly Quentin Tarantino, there is a staleness about much of the interaction and story arc. He inserts nods to previous films through product placement, pieces of dialogue, or even recycled actions, and they show his personality as a writer and director, but he needs to move into new material.

The Golden Globe nominations are entirely unfounded. Jennifer Jason Leigh does a decent job as the murderer, Daisy Domergue, but there is nothing exceptional to her work. Tarantino is like David O. Russell in that regard; actors get awards nominations under his watch, and often it is without merit. The writing is undeserving as well, as there are a dozen scripts that should have been credited for the quality and hard work before Tarantino. This is an example of a film being given credit before it is objectively viewed. I was fortunate enough to catch an advanced screening, but once the reviews come out, they will not be kind. I guarantee it. I will say this though, the score was a fun classic Western tune by frequent collaborator and industry stalwart, Ennio Morricone.

I would have loved to seen deeper characters. With alter egos and hidden identities, it is impossible, even in a nearly three hour film, to get to know who a person really is. The Hateful Eight was missing any sense of emotional connection to the audience. I began falling for Kurt Russell's character, but it fell apart when he arrived at the Haberdashery. Quentin makes his living on creating inspired characters, and a Western without a protagonist, or an interesting character is just plain boring. Every character has baggage, but none of them get you in their corner. Even if the story had transpired in the exact same way, I might have felt differently if there was at least one character that threw some intrigue my way. It was greatly disappointing.

The film once again pushes the conventions of the industry. Nearly three hours long, ultra-violent, and gratuitous at that. Full-frontal male nudity, which is a rarity in film, but becoming common in Tarantino's body of work. Much of what comes through on the screen numbs the viewer because it is just a bunch of garbage. Quentin Tarantino has lost his edge, and although he is returning to the Kill Bill franchise next, I am hopeful that he will create something new. Forget the homages to his favorite genres. Westerns and samurai films had their day. Get with the times and add your flavor to the twenty-first Century, Quentin. Until then, I will continue to follow his work because I admire his vision, but in this case, the product just comes across as lazy. 5/10.