The Hateful Eight came out during the insanity of 2015, so it took me a while to see it. Once again, I had to rely on an HBO weekend to see something I really wanted to see in the theater. FYI--this review is for the general release version, not the roadshow version.
Since this came out nearly three years ago, I won't give my usual SPOILERS warning.
Once again, no one is totally innocent in Tarantino's story. I wouldn't expect anything otherwise. But he normally gives us something redeeming about one or two characters.
This time however, no one has any redeeming features. These are a bunch of bad people trapped in a stagecoach stop in the middle of a blizzard. They proceed to prove just how bad they are.
But in typical Tarantino fashion, the surface is stripped away to display what's underneath, and in every case, it's a weird blend of righteousness and ugliness. Sheriff Mannix, whose father was a Lost Causer fighting long after the end of the Civil War, and Major Warren, a bounty hunter who had been a Union cavalryman, end up partners at the end in an effort to save their own lives.
One thing I loved about the movie was the treatment of accused murderer Daisy Domergue. It was refreshing to see a woman treated just as a man would have been in the same situation. She remains fully clothed. She's never sexualized, nor is it even hinted. Her brother is coming to rescue her, a la many a Bonanza episode in this type of hostage western storyline. Everyone asks each other what he thinks of hanging a woman versus a man. All the men, except her brother, merely shrugs and says it makes no difference to them since she's a killer.
All-in-all, the other characters treat her like one of the boys.
I think my disappointment lies in that only Daisy's brother Jody had a remotely noble goal. Generally, Tarantino gives us one or two characters whose goals the viewer can empathize with, even if they perform some heinous acts. In this case, no one gets out of the movie alive.
Frankly, I'm not sure why Tarantino made this story a movie. The Hateful Eight could have easily been a stage play since most of the action takes place in the snowbound station. It's not my favorite Tarantino movie, but it has an understandable end, similar to Se7en.
Overall, I give The Hateful Eight 7 stars out of 10.
The swearing in this movie won me over. I know that sounds silly but it's true. :-)
ReplyDeleteLOL Quentin and Samuel have turned swearing into an art form.
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