The movie tells the story of a Bounty Hunter that is trying to get his prisoner to Red Rock to be hanged. However he meets obstacles along the way, those being a blizzard and some complicated and mysterious characters.
The Hateful Eight doesn’t have a complicated or extravagant plot like other work from the genius director and it’s probably one of his weakest in terms of the non-linear storytelling (e.g. flashbacks). Nevertheless it’s probably the best in the aspect that is Tarantino’s greatest attribute, and that is being able to develop a story through fascinating dialogue.
The movie has a great cast who might not be the biggest stars of today, but as Tarantino says, some of them are the “Tarantino Superstars”. They are capable of saying his dialogue, understand the material he writes and sell the jokes even though they are not officially jokes. It’s all about casting people that get his work.
Robert Richardson is rightly nominated for his work. The cinematography is excellent, the mesmerizing scenery is captured as such and every shot is stunning to look at. The cabin which plays such a big part in the movie could even be considered a character along with the blizzard. Every aspect of the production design is right on the money, giving the setting the authenticity it deserves.
The music score composed by Ennio Morricone is exactly what you would expect from the legendary composer, who returns to the western genre after decades. He delivers some gripping and chilling music, more reminiscent of his work in The Thing rather than the westerns he composed music for (there are actually a few tracks from John Carpenter’s The Thing). Definitely deserved the Oscar nod and maybe a bit more, we will see.
The Hateful Eight might not be Quentin Tarantino’s best work, but it is the most ambitious in terms of subtext and real world parallels.
8.5/10
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