Oh, Tarantino you genius of a man. As the titles start rolling, we are informed that this is the 8th film by Quentin Tarantino, the man who has brought us many great films, some of them true masterpieces and a couple not as great but still unique and characteristic of his exceptional style. Movies such as Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill volumes 1&2 (2003-4), Death Proof (2007), Inglourious Basterds (2009), Django Unchained (2012) are films that cannot be forgotten, after all, whether you end up liking them or not and Tarantino has proven to be one of the most important and charismatic directors of the past two and a half decades. 
This time, and after a very bumpy ride over the past two years that included a script leak that made Tarantino abandon the project and then restart it after a re-write (and pleas from millions of his fans who wanted to see the project completed on the big screen), we are introduced to another western after the tremendously successful Django Unchained. If you are one of those who avoided trailers and further information about the movie - like I did - then you are in for a surprise as The Hateful Eight unfolds in the typical Tarantino way that seems a bit slow at first as you get introduced to all the characters -and they are more than the titled eight, trust me- but it soon becomes quite exciting as it starts to tell various stories that are entangled and mess things even more.
What you need to know is simply this: The Hateful Eight is the story of a bounty hunter who transfers his latest catch to the city in order for them to get hanged, but in the course of his journey, he meets some other people who also travel and need a ride to move away from the coming snowstorm. Eventually, they all find shelter in a cabin that is inhabited not by its regular owners but by some pretty strange-looking fellas who seem quite nefarious. What happens next and how things get messy is something that you should see for yourselves.
The Hateful Eight is a typical Quentin Tarantino film that has a lot of smart and witty dialogue, great characters and quite a lot of blood but this one in particular reminded me more of a theatrical play - as it basically has one big set- and for some reason it brought me memories from Reservoir Dogs back in 1992.Tarantino seems more mature here as he does not try to impress us with many directorial tricks but instead stays focused on the characters, their secrets and their motivations. It is quite an enjoyable and funny film with a very satisfying third act that can entertain even those who might find the beginning rather slow-moving (I didn't, but I am not the rule here). The writing is exceptional as always and it gives us so many details to look for even if we do not end up identifying with any of the detestable protagonists (they are hateful after all). Finally, the cinematography by Robert Richardson is amazing and it trully and without question transports us to the post-war United States. Let's not forget that this is also the return of the great Ennio Morricone to the composer's chair for a western after 40 whole years.
You should definitely find time to enjoy Quentin Tarantino's latest film as it might not be as instantaniously jaw-dropping as some of his previous work but it surely is thought-provoking and it stays with you a long after seeing it.
The Hateful Eight stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bishir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern and Channing Tatum.
0 σχόλια :
Post a Comment