Although it pains me to say it, Tarantino may have lost his movie-making magic—or so it seems based off his latest creation, titled “The Hateful Eight,” which also just happens to be his eighth movie. Filmed in 70mm format, the movie had many interesting elements, but even so, the various parts failed to function together in a productive way. For all of Tarantino’s past successes in films such as “Reservoir Dogs,” “Kill Bill” and “Pulp Fiction,” “The Hateful Eight” lacked a certain purpose that is deeply embedded in his other works. Tarantino seems to have lost his edge, though his downward descent appears to be a slow and arduous process.
The film showed such promise in the opening sequences, with full panoramic shots of the vast and absolutely stunning background, complete with winding hills and plumes of positively raining snow that intermittently blew across the horizon. Shot in Southwest Colorado, the terrific winter landscape automatically set up the film’s ambiance. Meant to take place only a few years after the Civil War, the wintry hell the characters find themselves in shows the brutality that is isolation, desperation and the bitter cold.
“The Hateful Eight” follows the narrative of eight individuals in different professions—including a bounty hunter, hangman and innkeeper—and their encounters in Minnie’s Haberdashery as a blizzard inhibits their ability to leave the premises. At the center of it all, John Ruth (Kurt Russell) intends to bring Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to justice for her crimes against humanity and decides not to give her a quick death, and instead to give the hangman work to do. As can be predicted in any Tarantino film, things get a lot hazier as hidden alliances and treachery are disclosed, and the blood flows more easily than in the elevator scene in “The Shining.”
Despite its all-around interesting concept and the claustrophobia that the film generates—after all, there is no telling what a bunch of strangers’ intentions are toward each other—the violence therein was all too senseless and gory. It’s not that I’m of the persuasion that detests a little gore in film, but I can’t help but find it a nuisance when there is no reason behind its occurrence, as was most certainly the case for “The Hateful Eight.” The graphic content aside, the gruesome nature of the killings felt unnecessary and devoid of any, even plot-based, purpose. As opposed to the typical arc found in two of his previous films, the revenge narrative was not part of “The Hateful Eight,” which may explain the mindlessness that pervades the majority of the film.
Stylistically echoing some of Tarantino’s other work, this western utilized the “chapter” sequences, which broke up the three hour and seven minute feature into distinct parts with names like “Chapter Four: Domergue’s Got a Secret” and “Last Chapter: Black Man, White Hell.” The screenplay was also noteworthy in various ways, given its unflinching dive into the time period. Adding to that, the dialogue was very well-written and effective in developing the characters, with all their various faults. The irony evident in the movie is unreal: The so-called agents of justice are just as violent as the crooks and criminals that run rampant.
“The Hateful Eight” also showcased a variety of riveting acting performances from its all-star cast, which included Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson and Demián Bichir, among others. Some of the cast, who have played roles in other Tarantino films, had stellar performances and a real understanding of the equally powerful screenplay. Notably, Jennifer Jason Leigh was capable of portraying a truly complex character and evoking a similarly complex reaction out of the audience. Despite knowledge of the fact that she committed some sort of horrific crime, she is incredibly vulnerable and suffers routine beatings from various characters. From Ruth’s lips, “Now, Daisy, I want us to workout a signal system of communication. When I elbow you real hard in the face, that means: shut up,” which is followed by the physical undertaking of that threat. Even so, Domergue is strong, tough, even a little on the vicious side herself and completely unconcerned with the social conventions of what a woman is supposed to act like. Oftentimes mocking the serious threats that she receives, she is both comical yet frightening, powerless yet confident and vicious yet vulnerable.
“The Hateful Eight” has received generally good reviews, garnering scores of 8.0 on imdb.com and 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But although Tarantino’s eighth film may not be the worst movie in the theaters now, his legacy indicates that he is capable of so much more. This may suggest his slow unraveling, but even so, he has enough work in his portfolio to keep audiences busy for a long time.
