Watched The Hateful Eight, the latest Quentin Tarentino movie last night via Netflix. As with many Tarentino movies, the rap about it is only tangentially accurate. Yes, there is violence – but quite little until late in the movie, and some of it is of the disgusting nature rather than being blown away – and much of the latter is mainly off-screen.
What it is, is a (somewhat overlong at 2:48) set of reflections on the Civil War, its racist aftermath, commitment to one’s profession (even if that’s a bounty hunter), and how character isn’t always visible on the surface. It’s a beautifully shot (70 mm), poetic vision of the West and the lives it contains. The opening vistas of the West in the snow – mountain ranges, forests, rivers are breathtaking – and with a wooden Christ on the cross coming increasingly into focus, introduces a nice note of anticipatory confusion.
The basic plot (from IMDB):
Some time after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. Bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive captive Daisy Domergue race towards the town of Red Rock, where Ruth will bring Daisy to justice [a trial and then a hanging – Ruth’s nickname is the hangman because his morality has him bring in his prisoners alive, although the rewards are for dead or alive]. Along the road, they encounter Major Marquis Warren (an infamous African-American bounty hunter and ex-Union Army officer) and Chris Mannix (a man who claims to be Red Rock’s new sheriff). Lost in a blizzard, the bunch seeks refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery. When they arrive they are greeted by unfamiliar faces: Bob, who claims to be taking care of the place while Minnie is gone; Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman of Red Rock; Joe Gage, a cow puncher; and confederate general Sanford Smithers. As the storm overtakes the mountainside, the eight travelers come to learn that they might not make it to Red Rock after all…
They also discover all kinds of past relationships among them, and display both insight and patience.
The movie is divided into six narrative sequences which, with one exception to provide a bit of backstory, take place chronologically.
There are some very funny bits, some incredibly insightful dialogue, and other than a scattered few “look-away” moments, it’s a marvelous ride. Tarentino is a brilliant director, and in my opinion, worth watching despite his excesses.