When Quentin Tarantino makes a film, you are guaranteed something you've never seen before. His iconic visions and stories have made for some of Hollywood's best films. Today, I had the opportunity to see his eight installment of the universe he so brilliantly created. I got to the theater and was handed a program upon purchasing my ticket. That's when I knew I made the right choice in seeing The Hateful Eight.
In terms of experience, seeing The Hateful Eight in 70MM film was absolutely awesome. For these advertised early showings, called "The Roadshow Tour," you are shown the entire film in 70MM, given a program, and even experience an intermission in the middle of the movie. Tarantino went above and beyond to really create an old fashioned experience for those who saw the film early. I don't know if these aspects will carry on with its nation wide release, so I deeply treasured and appreciated how much effort was put into making my experience memorable. I have to give credit to both Tarantino and the theaters that made seeing this movie in film possible. The collaboration on both parts made my experience seeing this film my favorite in a long time.
A huge selling point of The Hateful Eight is the brilliant cast that Tarantino assembled. Samuel L. Jackson, per usual, absolutely smashed his performance out the park. He's one of Hollywood's best and this performance was no exception. Yet, my favorite performance came from Kurt Russell. He played an old school bounty hunter that was transporting a criminal (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) to execution. His character was ruthless and at times, completely paranoid. His on screen presence was quite enjoyable and it honestly shocked me that Steve Stronghold from Sky High could be taken seriously in a modern western. Walton Goggings also delivered a strong and memorable performance. The cast, as expected, absolutely delivered and all members were great in their own right.
The plot was something I didn't fully appreciate. I know Tarantino's style of big time gore and plot twists all over the place. He's known for both and I expected both. Yet, Tarantino's films always feel big and the gore and plot twists have a place in those big films. Yet, in an attempt to make a new modern western, the gore and plot twists really never felt necessary. Don't get me wrong, both aspects are executed excellently. Yet, this movie had a small feel to it and those aspects felt unnecessary. The majority of the film takes place in a small haberdashery in Wyoming. For that purpose alone, I was expecting a smaller scale film that relaxed the use of big Hollywood proponents. The overuse of gore and plot twists tried making this film something it just wasn't suppose to be at times. Besides those aspects, the dialogue driven plot is great. The cast really helped elevate this story into new heights and made it something truly special.
A huge part of my enjoyment for this film was the aspect of it being shot in film. Tarantino went through great lengths to shoot this in a way that he deemed appropriate. The film is absolutely beautiful and the cinematography is amazing. This film is jammed packed with beautiful shots of the wilderness of Wyoming and even better shots of the characters themselves. If you are looking to see a beautifully shot movie, this is something for you. Tarantino's vision was seen through and it turned out great.
In closing, I enjoyed The Hateful Eight a lot. My overall experiences implores me to implore you to see this movie in the 70MM film style. It's something you will truly never experience again.
Rating: B+
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