Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

Because Once Upon a Time in Hollywood comes out this month.

I mean that’s not the only reason I finally sat down to watch this movie but it ended up being the driving force. I remember when Hateful Eight came out in cinema – based on the trailer alone I thought to myself: I don’t want to sit for three hours for that. And this was coming from a kid who chose to watch, examine and then write an essay on Tarantino movies at university.

Anyways considering I’ve seen the majority of his movies and intended to see his latest, I figured it was time to add this one to the shelf.

Caught in a blizzard on the way to Red Rock – Wyoming, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) is forced to stop for shelter with his captive, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and the two men he picked up along the way: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and the new sheriff of Red Rock; Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins).

Their refuge is Minnie’s Haberdashery, where three gentlemen are already in residence when Ruth and his party arrive, too waiting out the building storm.

Being trapped in one room with no one around to trust; the winds roar and tensions rise on the inside, curling smoke that turns to flames as twitching fingers remain at the ready to fire off the first fatal warning shot.

I didn’t expect to like this movie. It’s probably why I put off watching it for so long. And to be honest though I thought it was okay: I have no inclination to rewatch it.

The characters all blurred into one of the following two categories: one-dimensionally passive or one-dimensionally odd. It was like they were given one line to build the motivations for their entire character and they didn’t stray; you: be the quietly broody one, you: be the kind British one, you: grumble in a Mexican accent. Who were these random people I was forced to stare at for the worse part of two hours?

Though theatre like in set up, Hateful Eight didn’t meet all the requirements in audience interest, emotional engagement nor strong, stand-alone dialogue in its deliverance.

It was also pretty disappointing that this movie wasn’t like a number of the other Tarantino movies before it. I know that sounds silly but when you build a brand based on a specific representation or style, and then expectations aren’t met; disappointment is sure to follow.

Yes, it had the actors you sort of already know will feature based on past movies, and it was exciting to see them all together again (Michael Madsen & Tim Roth – Reservoir Dogs!) and we, of course, know of Tarantino’s seemingly unnecessary use of violence and the all too casual profanities – but the storyline was very weak and the lack of movement within location really didn’t help us see past this.