THE HATEFUL EIGHT - review

THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Jurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Parks, Channing Tatum

Synopsis: Set six or eight, or twelve years after the civil war, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as "The Hangman", will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town's new Sherrif. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they  arrive at Minnie's, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demián Bichir), who's taking care of Minnie's while she's visiting her mother, Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth(, the hangman of Red Rock, cow puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eith travellers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all. 

Oh. My. Giddy. Aunt. Today was the day folks. The day I got to see the new Tarantino film in glorious Ultra Panavision 70, exactly as he intended it and I've never been happier. Ok, well perhaps I have been happier, but in that moment I was elated. It was exquisite.

For those of you who don't know what Ultra Panavision 70 is, here is a little excerpt from the programme I got when I saw the film today (that's right, it comes with a programme, as well as an overture and an intermission);

Ultra Panavision 70 refers to the very rare and exceptional format that Quentin Tarantino and his team used to shoot THE HATEFUL EIGHT. Panavision's unique anamorphic camera lenses capture images on 70mm film in an incredible aspect ratio of 2.76:1. Almost all films you see today are shot in ratios of either 1.85:1 or 2.39:1. So, to put it simply, Ultra Panavision 70 provides an amazingly wider and more detailed image. Only a handful of films have ever been made in this format, including BEN-HUR, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, BATTLE OF THE BULGE and in 1966, KHARTOUM, the last time a motion picture was made in this format. 

Basically it's bigger and better and just generally all round rare and awesome. When I heard that the Sun Theatre were going to be tracking down and installing a 70mm projector for the purpose of screening THE HATEFUL EIGHT, I was delighted, but also concerned about where the hell they were going to find a 70mm projector and all the necessary parts. Particularly given the limited release of the 70mm print, I imagined there would be a mad scramble for bits and pieces that have long since disappeared from most cinemas which are now all running digital.

Tarantino and the Panavision camera

Not to worry though, my old friends fought the good fight for 6 months, collected all the bits, put it together and got it working to be one of only 6 screens Australia wide showing the film in the format in which it was filmed and intended to be seen. They did an incredible job pulling it together, so cudos to them I say. There was an audible sigh of relief when the film started and ran through to the end without a hitch in the first session today. And for me there was something magical about hearing the whir of a projector behind me as I sat my ass down during the overture and got settled in for 3 hours and 15 minutes.

I also snuck a peak in the projection room today and caught a glimpse of the beautiful piece of equipment that is a 70mm projector and chatted to the boys who didn't leave the bio box for the entire first screening of the film, just in case.

The team at the Sun were wrapped (as they should be), and sessions are selling out fast at the Sun as it is one of the few places you can see it in this format. As I said I went to the first session this morning even though I was dog tired having spent the night chatting and doing ridicuous quizzes with the BFF aka The Red Haired Amazona, but I dragged my sorry ass out of bed to be first in line. The film was still in mint condition, however I can't wait to go back in a couple of weeks once it has collected a little bit of dust and gained a bit of character so I can really tell that I am watching a film on film. There's nothing quite like the magic of a film, I know most people prefer the clarity of digital, but I myself can't go past a print with a few marks or scratches, that's one of the biggest things I miss about film.

Anyway, that's enough about that rambling, now onto what I thought about the film. In a nutshell, I loved it. I think I was always going to love it, but sometimes when I think that I end up being sorely disappointed, this time, I wasn't. I've been gearing up for this film since the leak of the script in 2014, and shed a tear when Tarantino nearly abandoned the project until he saw the positive response to the script, so with a few minor changes he pushed on to deliver a film that I think is a standout for the 2015/16 season (it shits all over MAD MAX: FURY ROAD just FYI). Not only that, but I think it is a standout for Tarantino. It will never take the palce of my favourite Tarantino film of all time (RESERVOIR DOGS), but actually it's right up there. I need some time for the film to sink in and for the high to fade before I make the call and place it in rank order , but I think it's going to satisfy die hard Tarantino fans like me as well as the average Joe Bloggs cinema viewer.

Be warned, in true Tarantino style there is some gore. It's not as confronting as DJANGO UNCHAINED, but there's gore. Blood, guts, blown off nut sacks, you name it it's there. It is Tarantino in the Wild West after all, what do you expect?

The film is incredibly shot, the scenery is magnificent, and the wide lens shots the 70mm gets make for a breathtaking setting for the film to take palce. Ennio Morricone is a miracle worker with the score, which is why THE HATEFUL EIGHT won the Golden Globe this year for Best Original Score. It carries the film so well from the overture to the end credits, and sets the tone for the whole thing from the opening note.

The film is a little slow moving to start, but it doesn't impact it in a negative way. I certainly didn't feel like I was sitting there for the longest 3 hours of my life, and to me that's always a good sign. If I'm restless and fidgety and thinking "Oh for Pete's sake I've been watching this film for days" then I know the film is pretty crap, particularly if it's only a 90 minute piece. At over 3 hours, I didn't once feel like I had been there for 3 hours, but I was bloody grateful for the intermission, because I really wouldn't have been able to site that long without a desperate need to pee.

There is a great recap after intermission, which didn't quite fit with the film in my opinion, but will be super helpful to those with the memory of a goldfish who won't remember where they were up to 10 minutes ago. The script is witty and snappy and gives this talented ensemble cast a lot to work with which is a refreshing change.

Image via Entertainment Weekly

There was a lot of secrecy revolving The Chan *sigh* and his role in this film, and it hasn't really been publicised that much, and I'm not going to talk about it that much either because it would give the game away, but what I will say is there wasn't enough of him...I mean look at him in all his cowboy glory;

*le sigh* 

Image via Roadshow 

THE HATEFUL EIGHT is a very successful single-setting dramedy (drama comedy) in my opinion, and I think that Tarantino fans and the majority of the gen pop will enjoy this film (probably don't take your Great Aunt Mary or anything). I sure did and I actually can't wait to go back and see it again. Just remember that it is an R18+ rating in Australia and that means you must of 18 or over and you will be asked for ID both at the point of purchasing tickets and at entry to the cinema at most locations, so be prepared for that. In my opinion you should definitely spend the 20-something dollars on this film, and I highly recommend that you see it as it was intended in the very exquisite Ultra Panavision 70. You can catch it in Melbourne at the Sun Theatre (my cinema of choice), The Astor Theatre or the Rivoli and in Sydney at the Even on George Street, the Hayden Orpheum and the Randick Ritz.

4 out of 5

Xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell