Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” is riveting and enjoyable. Featuring captivating characters, many twists and just an enjoyable cinematic experience which Tarantino fans will no doubt enjoy. Recommended!
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TITLE: The Hateful Eight
FILM RELEASE: 2015
DURATION: 168 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 2:76:1 Aspect Ratio, English aDTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH and Spanish
COMPANY: The Weinstein Company
RATED: R (For Strong Bloody Violence, a Scene of Violent Sexual Content, Language and Some Graphic Nudity)
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Written by Quentin Tarantino
Produced by Richard N. Gladstein, Shannon McIntsh, Stacey Sher
Executive Producer: Georgia Kacandes
Associate Producer: William Paul Clark, Coco Francini
Music by Ennio Morricone
Cinematography by Robert Richardson
Edited by Fred Raskin
Casting by Victoria Thomas
Production Design by Yohei Taneda
Art Direction by Benjamin Edelberg, Richard L. Johnson
Set Decoration by Rosemary Brandenburg
Costume Design by Courtney Hoffman
Starring:
Samuel L. Jackson as Major Marquis Warren
Kurt Russell as John Ruth
Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue
Walton Goggins as Sheriff Chris Mannix
Demian Bichir as Bob
Tim Roth as Oswaldo Mobray
Michael Madsen as Joe Gage
Bruce Dern as General Sandy Smithers
James Parks as O.B. Jackson
Dana Gourrier as Minnie Mink
Zoe Bell as Six-Horse Judy
Gene Jones as Sweet Dave
Keith Jefferson as Charly
Craig Stark as Chester Charles Smithers
Belinda Owino as Gemma
Channing Tatum as Jody
The Hateful 8 is set 6 or 8 or 12 years after the Civil War in wintery Wyoming, and a blizzard is coming. Bounty Hunter John Ruth is trying to get his bounty, Ms. Daisy Domergue (Dah-mer-goo), to the town of Red Rock where she’s scheduled to be brought to justice. Along the way he and his wagon driver Olie pick up two strangers; another bounty hunter and former union soldier, Major Marquis Warren, and a former southern renegade who claims to be the new mayor of Red Rock, Chris Mannix. The impending storm has forced them to stop at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are not greeted by the proprietor but by four strangers. As the storm takes over the mountainside cabin our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…
Back in 2013, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino let people know that he was working on another western.
Would it be a sequel to his “Django Unchained”, would it be an original story? The following year, Tarantino revealed the title to be “The Hateful Eight” and it was an original story that was inspired by 1960’s westerns.
And in 2015, “The Hateful Eight” was released in theaters and another roadshow version which featured an overture and intermission, plus six extra minutes of footage.
Written and directed by Tarantino, “The Hateful Eight” would star Samuel L. Jackson (“The Avengers” films, “Pulp Fiction”, “Django Unchained”), Kurt Russell (“The Thing”, “Stargate”, “Death Proof”), Jennifer Jason Leigh (“The Machinist”, “Road to Perdition”, “eXistenZ”), Walton Goggins (“Bourne Identity”, “The Shield”, “Django Unchained”), Demian Bichir (“Che”, “A Better Life”, “The Heat”), Tim Roth (“Pulp Fiction”, “Reservoir Dogs”, “Planet of the Apes”), Michael Madsen (“Reservoir Dogs”, “Donnie Brasco”, “Kill Bill: Vol. 1”) and Bruce Dern (“Nebraska”, “Django Unchained”, “Monster”).
And now, “The Hateful Eight” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay Entertainment.
“The Hateful Eight” begins with John “The Hangman” Ruth (portrayed by Kurt Russell) transporting wanted villain Daisy “The Prisoner” Domergue (portrayed by Jennifer Jason Leigh) on a stagecoach, driven by O.B. Jackson (portrayed by James Parks).
They come across Major Marquis “The Bounty Hunter” Warren (portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson) who is transporting three dead bodies to the same location, Red Rock, Wyoming.
Because of the blizzard, Major Warren asks John Ruth to give him a ride to Red Rock, but to make sure Major Warren is legit, Ruth asks for the Major’s letter from Abraham Lincoln. Ruth obliges to give Warren a ride.
As the group continues to drive, they meet Chris Mannix (portrayed by Walton Goggins), a former Lost-Causer, who is on his way to Red Rock to become the new sheriff. He asks John Ruth if he can get a ride to Red Rock, seeing that Mannix is a sheriff, Ruth obliges.
But a blizzard is upon them and the group has to seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach lodge. The group are greeted by Bob (portrayed by Demian Bichir), a Mexican who tells the group that Minnie left to visit her mother and left him in charge. The others are Oswaldo Mobray (portrayed by Tim Roth), cowboy Joe Gage (portrayed by Michael Madsen) and General Sanford “Sandy” Smithers (portrayed by Bruce Dern).
And as everyone locks themselves up inside the lodge, there is a high aura of distrust. What happens when these individuals must stay locked up in a lodge together?
VIDEO:
“The Hateful Eight” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:76:1 aspect ratio). The film looks absolutely wonderful in HD with closeups showing detail of skin pigments to seeing the detail in clothing. Outdoor scenes are vibrant and for the most part, I didn’t notice any problematic issues with banding or artifacts during my viewing of the film.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“The Hateful Eight” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and also Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. Also, in Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.
Dialogue is crystal clear and there is good use of surround channels when it comes to hearing the blizzard or hearing the various gun shots. But primarily this is a dialogue-driven soundtrack, as well as a musical soundtrack as the music by Ennio Morricone is fantastic!
Subtitles are in English SDH and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“The Hateful Eight” comes with the following special features:
- Beyond the Eight: A Behind-the-Scenes Look – (4:55) Quentin Tarantino and cast talk about the film and working with each other.
- Sam Jackson’s Guide to Glorious 70mm – (7:50) Samuel L. Jackson talks about “The Hateful Eight” roadshow.
EXTRAS:
“The Hateful Eight” comes with a slipcover and UltraViolet code. A DVD for the film is also included.
“The Hateful Eight” is an exhilarating film that captivates, stirs the pot and will no doubt have people talking because of its subject matter.
Imagine eight unlikable, greedy characters stuck in a lodge overnight. Imagine how these individuals try to outdo others in order to survive and be the last person or people standing.
But the film goes beyond the banal “survivor takes all” storyline. Broken down into chapters, we start to learn about personal motivations, things that happened during the day that opens up the storyline, to make us realize how bad these people really are.
Some of these situations are so shocking and riveting that you can’t help but be captivated by its storyline to see which one of these people survive because quite simply, they are out to get each other.
With that being said, the film had a lot of critics talking and with it coming out on Blu-ray, I’m sure those debates would resurface. From the treatment of Daisy Domergue by Jon Ruth, the racial tension between Major Marquis Warren and General Sandy Smithers. But personally, for a film that takes place after the Civil War, I wouldn’t expect Tarantino to be politically correct to appease the masses. Many Westerns avoided the race card back in the ’60s, but you expect to see the tension between those raised from the north and south.
The cast did a magnificent job playing their characters. Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Walton Coggins did a fantastic job!
As for the Blu-ray release, the picture and lossless audio are fantastic. Picture quality showcases great detail, while lossless audio does a fine job of showcasing crystal clear dialogue and music. There are only two special features and both are short. I expected a bit more for this Blu-ray release.
Overall, Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” is riveting and enjoyable. Featuring captivating characters, many twists and just an enjoyable cinematic experience which Tarantino fans will no doubt enjoy. Recommended!
