“Blu-ray or Bust”
THE HATEFUL EIGHT (2015, R, 168 minutes, THE WEINSTEIN
COMPANY)
Quentin Tarantino sure does like the N-word!
After the verbal N-word assault which was DJANGO UNCHAINED,
the sometimes misunderstood and terribly pale director/auteur offers up
something with a few less racial slurs. The trade off is more dialogue, more
gore, and a heckuva lot of more Samuel L. Jackson. And while he seems unable to
fully let go of his questionable vernacular, his dialogue—nay, his soliloquies,
are still right on point.
Surprisingly, two hours of this three-hour epic stage
production is a fantastic film. But you need to get through the first sixty
minutes to see him hit his stride. As he did with DJANGO, he borrows from prior
films, trying to piece together characteristics of classic westerns with his
own brand of storytelling.
EIGHT tells the tale of bounty hunter John “The Hangman”
Ruth (played by an angry Kurt Russell) who is escorting his prisoner (Jennifer
Jason Leigh, who was totally deserving of her Oscar nomination for her brave
portrayal of Daisy Domergue) to a town for a hanging. But a blizzard is
approaching, and strands them all at Millie’s Haberdashery, a pit stop on the
road to Red Rock. The folks already gathered there are a Who’s Who of Tarantino
stock actors: Tim Roth (who has a great time as the only Englishman in the
room), Michael Madsen (KILL BILL, RESERVOIR DOGS), and James Parks (DEATHPROOF,
KILL BILL) are just a few of those that round out the main players. Add
crotchety and more-than-slightly racist General Smithers (played by Bruce
Dern), and you have yourself an entertaining ensemble.
The surprises are…well, everyone, except Madsen (far be it
for him to ever play against type). Jackson’s delivery of Tarantino’s written
word is spot on, and the biggest surprise may be “Justified’s” Walton Goggins
as the new sheriff of Red Rock. He gets the most laughs, but also has the most
development of any of the characters.
But if I had to pick my absolute favorite member of this
production, it would be cinematographer Robert Richardson. As you will see in
the documentaries accompanying the disc, what he does with the 65mm lenses that
Tarantino insisted on using is nothing short of magnificent. From the broad
sweep of the snowy landscape of Wyoming to the long close ups of the characters
in a battle of wits, his eye captures not just the intensity of every scene,
but also the grand scope of their surroundings. Much of the film takes place
inside of one room, but Richardson dares you to ignore the colors and details
he captures on film.
Of course, the Blu-ray format is the closest you are going
to come to seeing this the way the filmmakers wanted you to view it (unless you
have a 70mm projector lying around the house). If you buy this on regular DVD, you
are cheating yourself. Also, pay attention to the store from which you are
purchasing the film; each one seems to have exclusive bonus content, and the
best I saw was available at Target (there is an expanded “making of” included
that goes more in-depth than the regular release does, and is well worth the
expense).
Tarantino has not announced his next film, which is not
unusual for him. What should be entertaining is which genre he decides to
exploit next. As long as Jackson and Goggins are on board, so am I.
Film Grade: B+
Special Features: A-
Blu-ray Necessary: Hells yes
- T.S. Kummelman
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