The Hateful Eight

Following two critical and commercial hits with Inglourious Basterds and then Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino's 2015 western, The Hateful Eight, seems to have fallen out of conversation today despite generally receiving favourable reviews. It's the director's eighth film and seeing as he has sort of limited himself to how long he will work for, surely a perfectionist like him has made something worthy of watching or did his cinephile mind create something only he could truly love? 

The story follows Kurt Russell's bounty hunter transporting a highly wanted criminal, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, through the brutally cold Wyoming mountains during a storm in a stagecoach. Along the way he reluctantly picks up a stranded bounty hunter (Samuel L. Jackson) and a newly appointed sheriff (Walton Goggins) before taking refuge in a haberdashery occupied by several other individuals all hoping to wait out the storm, or are they? 

Scored by the legendary Ennio Morricone, who would win an Oscar for his work here, and with Robert Richardson behind the camera, The Hateful Eight is an excellent film in terms of sight and sound. Combined with Tarantino's fluid screenplay and an excellent cast, I really enjoyed myself watching this film again and more-so than on my first viewing. Sometimes a film built around a mystery and suspense doesn't always lend itself to repeat viewings but here I found myself enjoying this. 

But is this as good as the two films that came before? They are certainly better crowd-pleasers and move at a swifter pace compared to this which certainly takes its time before introducing all eight characters, and might be considered slow to some. The third act is also missing some polish and could have been tightened up but anyone enjoying this will easily forgive that. If you like Tarantino's other films then this is worth a watch despite the near three hour running time but I can't quite say it will be for everyone, with the same going for Tarantino's style. Yet if you are prepared for a long evening in with an atmospheric western that boasts a sharply written screenplay and plenty of violence, then you need look no further.