The Hateful Eight [Blu-ray]

The first thing you need to know is that this film is visually stunning. Tarantino decided to film it in 70mm in a nod to the old westerns of the 1950's. Just the opening titles are breathtaking. The second thing you need to know is that the soundtrack is by Ennio Morricone. Yes, THE Ennio Morricone who wrote the music for 'A Fistful of Dollars' (1964), 'For a Few Dollars More' (1965) and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' (1966). OK..now we've explained that we'll discuss the movie but without revealing anything. It's a moody & atmospheric film. Deep snow features throughout and you can't help but feel the cold as you watch this 161 minute film. The cast is exemplary with a few Tarantino favourites like Samuel L Jackson, Michael Madsen and Tim Roth but it's Kurt Russel and Jennifer Jason Leigh who shine throughout. It wouldn't be a Tarantino film without language that's now frowned upon and violence when you least expect it. Can't discuss the plot as that's better for you to find out yourselves as you settle in for the ride. Personally I think this is by far the best Quentin Tarantino film ever. He knocked it out the park with this one and I am very happy I now have a copy.

Tarantino style film credits? Check Haunting original score that's awesome at start and ties film together? Check Over extended opening sequence that dwells on a sculpture of christ and some beautiful mountains? Check Brilliantly acted by every single actor - including even Mr Tatum? Check Couldn't look away - and had to re watch the beginning at the end? Even better second time? Check Controversial over use of racist word - but put into a context that works as an honest reflection on American's historical problems? Check A faint whiff of trouble as this is partly produced by you know who - and leading lady not treated well - but again context of story spot on....? Check I could go on with this list - but I think you get the idea. My favorite Mr T films are still Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction - but this comes 'mighteeee close' - just like the equally fab Django and Inglorious I get everything that Tarantino wants from his films from beginning to end - there is no let up usually .... The game changer in this film is the contrast between space and claustraphobic tension - you feel the director pining for character and poetry in this film - thanks to the white landscapes, the amazing score and the fantastic script (again) Quentin fulfills his ambition mostly. I loved it. Was transfixed and amazed and a bit frightened too. Like Wes Anderson and Wim Wenders (our other great modern masters with their own outstanding filmic artistry and signature) you want more of what they love to do - but end the film faintly wishing to be TOTALLY bamboozled by something completely new - because all these directors are clearly capable of doing something unexpected which would be even more brilliant....but like many an obsessed artist - they are happy in their own sheds. And I really dont blame them. Guilermo Del Toro is my other modern director who's work I really like (OMG Pans Labyrinth) but for me he hits his style a little less full on in some films because you feel he's been waiting for the proper funding perhaps and some films are made as a route to get to his true calling (Shape of Water is his best since Pans by a mile.......) - well Quentin does not wait - he does - and that makes his work very immediate and understandably Tarantino esque each time. The twists and turns - through the dialogue are particularly brilliant. A must watch.....or listen........I wrote a poem after called The Hope For Higher Praise.........its a good poem thanks to this film.

Tarantino movies are 'always' something a bit special. And the hateful eight is certainly no different. What a Tarantino film offers better than any other modern movies......is great scenes with men in rooms conversing. And he doesn't mind dragging out the conversation either. Now I understand many people do not like it when a scene is dragged out. But that is because of their experiences with movies with bad dialogue that didn't need to be dragged out. Quentin has always been up at the top (if not the top) of directors and writers that can turn an average low-key dialogue scene. Into something magnificent. Being able to force career best work out of his cast. Many many times. And that's one of the things about the hateful eight that is so on point. The hateful eight cast. Nobody can ever be carried in a Tarantino film. Everyone involved knows it's going to be intensely difficult. Yet every A-lister would give their right leg to be a part of the madness. Picking out a star performance is almost impossible thanks to everyone involved. From Kurt Russell's hilarious bounty hunter performance to Jennifer Jason Leighs slapped about Daisy. To (in my opinion) a career best performance in Walton Goggins newly promoted Sheriff Chris Mannix. Other Tarantino regulars are on par here too, as you would expect. Samuel L Jackson gives Quentin his best as usual. As does Madsen and the incredibly talented Tiim Roth. Though the hateful eight will not be the best Tarantino movie you have ever seen. That's only because of the sheer masterpiece's he has directed in the past. So saying that, the hateful eight is a must-see brilliant film. There is but a few directors alive, that can place 95% of a movie in one room........yet hold the attention of an entire audience. Here be another cult classic.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5. A refreshingly less self-indulgent gem from Tarantino which has a tight script that most interestingly harks back to his two earliest films Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction in terms of suspenseful paranoia and non-linear chronological plot twists. I won't bother with a detailed synopsis. I'm sure that most people reading this review know that this is a western in the "dudes who aren't necessarily who they claim to be and who don't necessarily like each other all stranded together in a blizzard" mold, right? And I'm sure people reading this also know that the main thrust of the story is Kurt Russell's grizzled bounty hunter's quest to see his present captive (as played by an uglied-up Jennifer Jason Leigh) see the end of a hangman's rope, right? Okay, good. With that out of the way, now onto my review: This is a very impressive film. I especially liked the effective (and perhaps quite brave) choice to use of the 2.76:1 Ultra Panavision 70 Widescreen format, which was a little jarring at first - but my eyes soon adjusted; I only wish I'd seen this on the silver screen as I think it would have looked achingly gorgeous and epic at that scale. As for the story and the performances, many of the fine actors in this are returning Tarantino alumni, so it's evident that they all work together really well and do a fantastic job giving breath to the lines that their writer-director has bestowed upon them. As ever, Samuel L. Jackson essays his role with a song in his heart and is a joy to behold, as is Kurt Russell in a part that fits him like a glove... the real revelation, though, is Walton Goggins, whom despite being given such an initially unlikeable racist hillbilly role to play, somehow manages to practically steal the entire film in the last reel - no small feat, I'll tell you... So yes, I quite liked this and I would recommend it - a welcome return to form from a director who, it has to be said, is sometimes a victim of his own smug pretentiousness. As good as both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained both were (especially after the hideous Death Proof), they were nowhere near as good as this film, in my opinion - which is interesting, given that this was originally intended to be a Django sequel before Tarantino decided that the script was veering elsewhere. Okay, I think that's just about covered everything that I wanted to cover. Thanks for reading my review.

This film was made to be seen on a huge cinema screen so it loses something on even a large TV but even so it is beautifully shot. The content is just what you would expect from Tarantino - lots of dialogue, a lot of it very down-to-earth, some extreme violence and a sprinkling of humour. The real surprise is how far into the film you get before the real bloodshed starts. It is a western, but also has elements of whodunnit, and all in a situation usually found in horror films, with a group of strangers all stranded together in a remote location. Apparently the film was heavily influenced by John Carpenter's The Thing, and I can believe that. The disc only has a couple of special features which are short documentaries about the film, one of which concentrates on the Super-Panavision format and is a lot more interesting than that sounds. The film was intended to be shown on a big screen with an intermission and you may need to use the pause button to create your own intermission for a comfort break because this is another really long film from QT. It is a real bladder-tester of a film but worth it because it takes its time with scenes like proper films did in the 70s rather than the exhausting modern trend towards having an edit every few seconds.

Really good film.

The latest movie from director Quentin Tarantino. Like his last one, it's a western. In Wyoming, bounty hunter John Ruth [Kurt Russell] is on the way to the town of Red Rock via stage, along with his prisoner. The charming Daisy Domergue [Jennifer Jason Leigh]. There's a storm coming along. They end up picking up two passengers. Bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren [Samuel L. Jackson] and Chris Mannix [Walton Goggins] one time guerrilla now - supposedly - town sheriff. A stop off at Minnie's, a stagecoach way station, turns out to be a longer one than intended. As the storm makes it impossible to leave. Not that, once the travellers and those already there get together, everyone may make it out alive anyway... Shot in 65mm film, this has absolutely gorgeous cinematography. It's a western made the way they used to do it. There are some stunning snow covered landscape shots. It's very much a character drama/detective story. As the characters interact and secrets come to light. Like most of the director's work, there are long conversations. But they do all set the scene and add to the characters, and they do all lead somewhere. And there are narrative tricks, twists and turns. In a plot that is very well put together and develops at just the right pace. It's as violent as you would expect. A couple of bits being nearer the knuckle than anything even this director has done before. And it gives good actors strong parts they can really get their teeth into and make the most of. As with some of Tarantino's other films, this one takes an actor who had somewhat vanished off the radar - in this case Jennifer Jason Leigh - and gives them a career redifining role that really shows off their talents. Even with all this strong characterisation, Michael Madsen's character does feel a little underdeveloped. And this is not quite as good a film as Django Unchained, simply because since it's the director's second western in a row, it doesn't feel as original as that did. But those are only minor complaints. All in all it's memorable movie making, and worth five stars. The dvd has the following language and subtitle options: Languages: English. Subtitles: English. The disc goes straight into the film when loaded with no ads or trailers. Be aware that, when it comes to chapter selection, it only has a handful of these. The exact same chapters the film is divided into. So you will have a lot of fast forwarding to do if you want to get a certain point in the middle of one. There are two extras: Beyond the eight: a four minute long behind the scenes feature. Which is just one of those promotional pieces with cast and crew extolling the project. Sam Jackson's guide to glorious 70mm, however, is a fascinating seven minute long look at how the film was shot, and how it was done and released in the manner of certain films of old. Well worth a watch, especially for movie buffs.

Tarantino films are entertaining and fun. When he hits the mark he can make a superb film. I thought his first three films were wonderful, but after that they became more uneven. “The Hateful Eight” is not one of his best despite having elements to recommend it. The cast assembled is awesome and deliver a great ensemble experience. The inherent story is good and even has touches of Agatha Christie to keep the audience engaged. However, at times that is difficult as this film is ridiculously long at nearly three hours. Given that this criticism was pretty uniform upon its theatrical release, it would have been good if he had listened and edited it for video release – but he didn’t. The tone is very uneven and at times dips too much into straight comedy that I thought undermined it. His obsession with using that racial word - that would get this review banned if I used it – is so tedious and gratuitous. This film also suffers from being very pretentious: from the stupid chapter stops to the unnecessary voice over. What I find astounding is the decision to shoot in 65mm and use an extreme ratio not seen (I think) since “Ben Hur”. In fact this comparison is make in an extra. Hold on though, “Ben Hur” was one of the greatest spectacles ever put on film: 90% of this film is shot in one room not providing quite the same visual experience demanding an extreme ratio! Beat that for pretension and misjudgement! Rented from LoveFilm.

This movie edition has turned out to be Region A locked (North America) so my european Panasonic bluray player cannot read the disc. Further more movie's box has been damaged during shipping due to inappropriate packaging (standard amazon's cardboard envelope). Languages: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio Subtitles: English SDH (deaf or hard hearing) and spanish Screen format: 2.76:1

Once again a few years back saw this film and enjoyed looking at it,

Väldigt bra.

Tense, violent and fun western. Not a nice western like Cohens' True Grit. Not as weighty or worthwhile as Unforgiven. Racial notes used are for creating tension, I gain nothing from it. It's a fun film for a violence loving generation. I liked it but like others wish Tarantino would stop making good kids movies.

Perfecto, llegó rápido y bien, lo único que no trae subtítulos en español