The Hateful Eight (2015) is directed by Quentin Tarantino and stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Demian Bichir, and James Parks. The film takes place in post-civil war Wyoming. As a massive blizzard approaches, famous bounty hunter “The Hangman” John Ruth (Russell) races to shelter while escorting Daisy Domergue (Jason Leigh), a hardened criminal worth a bounty of $10,000, to the hangman’s noose. Shortly before arriving at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a small lodge where they can wait out the storm, their carriage crosses paths with legendary African American Union general turned fellow bounty hunter, Major Marquis Warren (Jackson). Ruth allows Warren to accompany the pair, and soon after they encounter Chris Mannix (Goggins), the son of a former Confederate general who claims to be the new sheriff of Red Rock, the town where both Ruth and Warren intend to collect their bounties. They have no choice but to oblige Mannix’s request to accompany them. When the group arrives at the haberdashery, they are greeted by 4 strangers: a Confederate general (Dern), a cow-puncher (Madsen), the town hangman (Roth), and a Mexican (Bichir) who claims to be watching over the place for the owner who is away visiting family. Warren immediately senses something is off and Ruth soon concludes that one or multiple of the men isn’t who they say they are. As tensions rise and secrets are revealed, the characters find themselves at one another’s throats, struggling to survive and not knowing who to trust. 

Besides Pulp Fiction, this, in my mind, is easily the best team-up between Sam Jackson and Quentin Tarantino. Jackson seems to be the best fit to deliver Tarantino’s sometimes over-the-top and darkly funny dialogue. There’s just a certain bravura and dedication in Jackson’s delivery that remains deeply effective no matter how ridiculous Tarantino’s dialogue becomes. 

Kurt Russell plays a surprisingly disarming character in the sense that he is initially presented as the typical Western hero, always bringing his bounties in alive no matter what. This is then challenged by the fact that he begins to reveal himself as arrogant, sexist, and violent. He almost plays a version of John Wayne, but specifically Wayne’s most outdated and undesirable traits. This is further supported by Russell’s use of a Wayne-like voice. 

The casting of Goggins is a particularly smart choice. After his role as Boyd Crowder in Justified (2010-2015), it seems like a no-brainer to cast him as another Southern renegade. He plays the role with a mix of simple charm, casual Confederate racism, and a surprising amount of heart. The character’s arc by the end is particularly satisfying. Surprising, but genuine in the sense that it explores how people’s ideological differences often become meaningless in the face of greater, more immediate dangers.

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue ended up being nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2016 Oscars. It really is well-earned. The character is simultaneously reprehensible and sympathetic. It’s clear that she is an evil and violent person, but this is only revealed through dialogue. In the early portions of the film, we oddly attach ourselves to the character simply by how she’s treated by her captors. Slowly, as events start to turn from bad to worse, her true nature is revealed. She just walks such a fine line between intelligent, evil, and unhinged that it’s a tough performance to forget. This is tempered by the implication that this world turned her into the villain. In a world filled with violent and angry men, the only course of survival is by matching those traits and then doubling them. She’s remorseless and violent, but it feels as if she may have no other choice. Although clearly the villain of this story, she’s nuanced enough to avoid feeling like a caricature.

Although the rest of the cast receives significantly less focus, they still stand out as unique characters. These characters are meant to be mysterious, and therefore we don’t receive a lot of deep nuance about who these people are. This would normally be a large issue, but the point of this film is to not trust a majority of the characters. It creates a level of tension that’s completely necessary to hold our focus while the entire story takes place in a snowed-in cabin. Tim Roth gives the most energetic performance of the supporting cast, truly having fun with his role and oftentimes acting as the group’s mediating presence. Michael Madsen plays the most “normal” character of the group, but Tarantino has such a deep working relationship with Madsen that he knows exactly how to film him. His character doesn’t have a lot to say but is able to convey so much with simply his gaze. Tarantino knows exactly what angles to capture him in, making his intense gaze all the more effective. The only performance here that I have a slight problem with is Demian Bichir as Bob the Mexican. The character is supposed to be a throwback to how Mexican characters were often portrayed in Westerns, but it feels strange, that out of all the things Tarantino could call back to, he chooses to revive a somewhat problematic stereotype. That being said, the fact that the character is Mexican and can’t speak great English plays into the plot in a significant way. The character just has the least amount of nuance. 

The film is shot extremely well and the fact that the majority of the story takes place in a small cabin doesn’t hurt the cinematography as much as one would think. Tarantino brings his trademark level of batshit fun to the film, but this unfortunately feels like one of his most self-indulgent efforts, similar to how I feel about Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004), and Death Proof (2007). The film runs a massive 2 hours and 48 minutes and easily feels like it can be cut by 20 minutes at the very least. For example, there’s a recurring sequence in which the characters have to nail the door shut with pieces of wood so that the wind won’t blow it open. Each time this occurs, the film takes the time to show the act in its entirety. It’s meaningless, boring, and a bit strange. It probably added a good five minutes to the runtime for a choice that is unexplainable.

Tarantino’s dialogue is absurdly entertaining as usual, but sometimes the tone feels a bit unbalanced. The film is meant to be dark, violent, serious, absurd, and funny. For the most part, the individual moments work, but as a whole, I struggle to understand what kind of film Tarantino was aiming to make. It is almost as if the film is meant to be an experience as opposed to something meant to be described or analyzed. I don’t dislike the film’s “include it all for the sake of entertainment” attitude, but it does keep the film from being thematically or emotionally deep. It also results in the tone feeling random at times. I was caught off guard by many of the film’s attempts to transition into comedy, violence, etc. Also, the film’s attitude/comedic sensibilities feel a bit juvenile at times, making it tough to take everything as seriously as the film asks you to.  

What works wonders for this film is Tarantino’s ability to incorporate real history into the film’s setting and character dynamics. The aftermath of the Civil War immediately puts certain characters at odds in a way to feels both authentic and intriguing.

Overall, The Hateful Eight completely is satisfying in the ways Tarantino fans have come to expect. Unfortunately, this feels like one of those cases where Tarantino didn’t have anyone to keep his creative choices in check and tell him “no.” Even the greatest artists need to hear that every once in a while. Actually, I think it’s a necessary element of being a great artist. The film is much too long, has confusing, self-indulgent choices, and throws the idea of “balance” right out the window. All this being said, nobody makes films like Tarantino. Even at his worst, his scripts are uniquely entertaining in a way that 90% of scripts aren’t. His works remain one of a kind and entertaining no matter how many rewatches. That being said, his films are for a more specific, bloody, and darkly comedic taste. It’s a good movie that’s just a handful of important creative choices away from being a great one. B