Review - The Hateful Eight

Gory, vile and trademark Tarantino, 
and still not entertaining enough.

Blizzard and Guns, sounds fun.

For me, any Tarantino film's USP is not bloodshed, crazy bang-bang action; nor its quality to offend - but his screenplay - his crisp, smart dialogues and his ability to create tension. Let it be the first act of Inglorious Basterds, or the dining room scene of Django Unchained. He chills out the atmosphere without any atmospheric blizzards. However, in a film with real blizzard, Tarantino falls short of creating chills - by self-indulging pompously and going overboard with a runtime of about 3 hours.

The Hateful Eight depicts, no points for guessing, eight hateful characters - a black ex-civil war militant turned Bounty Hunter, another white Bounty Hunter who doesn't kills, an inapt newbie Sheriff, white Bounty Hunter's female prisoner, a Mexican, an Englishman, a confederate and a cowboy. All of them taking shelter in a cabin, after a blizzard blocks the paths in landscape of snow-clad Wyoming. As their paths cross, identities are concealed, hidden motives are revealed and of course, blood is shed. It is exaggerated - like Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight's violence isn't disturbing, rather it is comic - almost cartoonish.

Acted well by almost everyone (Jackson, Goggins and Leigh did the finest job), what keeps The Hateful Eight from going on is its sluggish pace. The first half of the film is painfully slow, the characters keep talking in brilliantly photographed shots by Robert Richardson. Their talk isn't even intriguing or whip smart. And talking is what they do most of the film. When the bullets fly and blood is splattered, unfortunately too much time is lost. Even the more dramatic moments of the film, which are far in between, lack the suspense and nerve-wrecking tension of which Tarantino is expected of.

Shot in 70mm film, the film is gorgeous to look at. Outdoor shots of both The Revenant and The Hateful Eight are visually similar, though Lubezki clearly triumphs over Richardson in terms of complexity and composition. Most of this film, though, is indoors, taking place inside a room, when a cracking storm rages outside. Taking full advantage of the scenario, Tarantino and his sound effects team create an immersive atmosphere. With an apt western score by Ennio Morricone, the film shines in the technical departments.

What is lacking, then, is a sense of involvement. Tarantino's script feels detached and sketchy - you can even accuse the film of racism, misogyny and homophobia, but since everyone is hateful, it is meant to be offensive. The stand-offs are lukewarm and action is a lot less. Even with a great plot-outline which promises to be highly entertaining and providing sheer adrenaline rush, The Hateful Eight falls short of everything.  Basically, Tarantino himself is missing - even in the best parts, there is a lot to be desired.

3/5