The Hateful Eight movie review: a bloody, violent western mystery

South Africa is finally receiving a theatrical release of Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, The Hateful Eight. But is Quentin Tarantino’s eighth violent and bloody film worth a watch?

The Hateful Eight is a western mystery film set just after the American Civil War and takes place on a harsh, snowy mountain in Wyoming, USA. Eight strangers take shelter in a haberdashery while a blizzard rages on outside. This setting forces all of the characters to stay indoors and gives the movie a sense of isolation with nowhere to run. In typical Tarantino style, each of the characters have something to hide, which adds to the ever looming isolation and violence.

After quite a bit of setting up, the movie really gets underway with murder, accusations, violence, and an incredible amount of dialogue. Something is amiss within this safe space for the travelers and only a select few suspect something is wrong.

All of the characters are a pleasure to watch with the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leight, and Tim Roth. The combination of acting and script have you changing emotions on the fly of who you trust and who you despise. Even the extras have personalities to them. There are one or two actors who could have portrayed their characters in a more meaningful way.

If you’re easily offended by the over usage of the words “motherfucker” and “nigger” then I’d advise you to skip the movie. For everyone else, you’ll soon look past all of the angry words as they become a part of the characters. It’s a Tarantino movie, which means the movie is probably an excuse for him to throw around profanity like it’s a two-for-one pizza special on payday — don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Read more: Watch Tarantino’s leaked ‘The Hateful Eight’ teaser trailer

There’s something to be said about the way The Hateful Eight is presented, and it’s something I’ve only said about a handful of films: the movie feels like a book. This may be a strange statement, but it’s the only way I can really describe watching the movie. Its plot, characters, pacing, and atmosphere all feel as though they’ve been lifted straight out of a pulp paperback and placed on the screen in front of you. This could be due to the fact the movie is split up into several chapters, with a few having a tiny bit of narration. It’s that rare instance where I hope there is a novelisation in the works.

As mentioned earlier, the movie contains an extraordinary amount of dialogue; with the action only serving as a guidance for the characters, events, and setups. Anyone looking for an action movie will be sorely disappointed. Anyone looking for a fantastic tale will be pleased with the film.

When the action scenes do take place they’re followed with copious amounts of blood, gore, and gray matter. There is violence against a woman, but it becomes apparent as the plot is revealed.

The cinematography is presented in the style of old westerns, using Ultra Panavision 70, which the film proudly shows off in the intro credits. This means the films is shown in an ultra-wide aspect ratio, much like old spaghetti westerns. Each scene is meticulously crafted to show subtle character traits, the backdrop, and the hopeless situation all of these characters have found themselves in. Of course, the crimson blood splatters play a start contrast to the snowy Hell just outside their collective door.

And finally the music. Oh, the music. Ennio Morricone has done a phenomenal job of bringing together a number or interesting and oddball tracks for the movie. The music ranges from appropriate for intense situations to downright weird to portray the obscenity of the film. It’s perfect.

Verdict: The Hateful is a pleasure to watch. The script, acting, and characters are all tight and make the almost three-hour long movie fly by. I highly recommend The Hateful Eight as a movie to watch on the big screen.

Score: 8.5/10