REVIEW: “The Hateful Eight” provides graphic twist on traditional westerns

By Will Bodendorfer,
Bluedevilhub.com Multimedia Editor-in-Chief–

“The Hateful Eight” is, fittingly enough, the eighth film by captivating director Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino is known for his action-packed, gritty film style and exploration of controversial topics, both of which are present in his newest film.

“The Hateful Eight” takes place in the Wyoming wilderness, roughly 10 years after the Civil War. The story begins with bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) in a carriage accompanied by outlaw Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Along their way to a town called Red Rock, where Ruth plans to turn Domergue in, the carriage picks up two more passengers–fellow bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), who claims to be Red Rock’s new sheriff.

With a blistering blizzard on their backs, Ruth and his carriage driver O.B. Jackson (James Parks) decide to turn in for the night at a familiar cabin, Minnie’s Haberdashery. There the travelers meet stragglers Señor Bob (Demian Bichir), hangman Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), cowboy Joe Gage (Michael Madsen) and General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), a former Confederate army general. The group of eight travelers realize that not everyone is who they say they are, and everyone has their own motives.

“The Hateful Eight,” like any other Tarantino movie, is filled with gruesome action-packed sequences that make the viewer squirm. For some, this movie may be too much: there is heavy usage of the n-word, continuous graphic violence and a scene in which one character throws up blood onto the face of another.

While this has become the norm for a Tarantino-directed film, it still may be too disturbing for the average moviegoer. That being said, if you can prepare yourself for the inevitable bloodbath, the film has a lot to offer.

For starters, the use of only a handful of characters allows star performances to shine brighter.

Two actors that deliver especially captivating performances are Samuel L. Jackson and John Ruth. The character personality of Major Marquis Warren seems to fit Jackson perfectly; he portrays the animated, over -the-top bounty hunter to a tee. Russell’s performance as John Ruth is also a highlight, as his intimidating stature and booming voice fit the no nonsense personality of Ruth perfectly.

However, at times the movie seems to draw things out unnecessarily long, and for two-thirds of the 167 minute movie, there is very little action or suspense. The beginning is filled with landscape shots and dialogue that doesn’t seem to have much meaning. But this is all in anticipation of the final third of the movie, which has enough suspense and plot twists to make up for any absence of excitement the viewer may have felt in the beginning.