The Hateful Eight (2015)

"You only need to hang mean bastards, but mean bastards you need to hang." -John Ruth the Hangman

"Well, cut my legs off and call me shorty." -Chris Mannix

"It's the stew that got me thinking." -Major Marquis Warren

*I went to the Roadshow version of the Hateful Eight. My experience was, I believe, enhanced by an opening overture, an intermission, and a high quality color program.

I am an old man with old tendencies, old references, and an appreciation for classic storytelling forms.  In this sense, I loved The Hateful Eight. It was a jaunt into truly theatrical Agatha Christy-esque storytelling. "We're snowed in so..nobody be going no where. We'll have to find the killer(s) ourselves." What clues were left? Did I catch them? What do I think is happening? The personal effort is the rewarding part. Knowing the answer ruins the fun.

I feel that enthusiasts of these particulars are few and our numbers are falling. So the decision by Tarantino to film in 70mm and host roadshows makes sense. I enjoyed the intermission and the color program. They give audiences a chance to discuss, use the facilities, buy more snacks, and speculate, much like stopping in between chapters while reading a good book.

As to the movie, it hit all my expectations, no more, definitely not less. I have high expectations for a Tarantino film and was not disappointed. (I doubt you will be either.) As I see more Tarantino films, I understand that he makes his own films with no apologies. I like that. It also means that if his style is rather static...that's the way he wants it to be. If he wanted to make a wholesome 50's screwball comedy without coarse language or violence, he would, and it would be great. He does not.

With that in mind, the violence and emotional malevolence displayed by each character of the Hateful Eight in turn is astounding, and that we (me included) laughed at horrifying things is the ultimate trick of a movie master. "mwhahahaha -dance to my moral decay, puppets." And for his prestige, it turns out that the audience is a exactly the same or worse as the characters.

Finally, I couldn't help but make comparisons to the films of Yasujiro Ouzu. I know Tarantino to be a fan of Japanese cinema, and it seems that he used the Hateful Eight's setting to make pillow and snow landscape shots in keeping with Ouzu Sensei. They are beautiful.

On a scale of stew made with chicken to stew made with pork, I give The Hateful Eight, 3.87 out of 5 stars.