The Hateful Eight [Blu-ray]

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.

Really good film.

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.

Knowing all of Tarantino's works, and knowing that this film, The Hateful Eight, sparked controversial reactions amongst his fans, I was anxious to watch it. "Love it" or "Hate it", what would it be ? For me, definitely "love it"! I like this film more than most of his other films. The length, the slowness, absolutely no problem for me, on the contrary, it's what makes this film strong, lends weight to the film, makes it special. I found not one boring second in the film. I will now refer to some details which I liked and others which I didn't like. (spoilers ahead!) Things I did not like: Tarantino, although being blessed by the fact that Morricone created an original score that is absolutely fantastic, sticks to his habit of borrowing film music from other films. I'm always disturbed by that. This time he takes music from Carpenter's "The Thing" (also by Morricone). Three musical pieces from the 1982 film appear here. When I hear those sounds, my mind is instantly in the Carpenter film (which I watched in cinema in 1982) and not anymore in the Tarantino film. However I must admit Tarantino did this borrowing very thoughtfully. The "Thing" score sets in when the poisoned coffee puzzles the characters in the film. Notice the similarities in both films: A bunch of people, being isolated in a snowy landscape and being worried that one of them started poisoning the others. And Kurt Russell is a main character in both films. What I liked ? Everything else! The dialogues are splendid! The cast members, familiar faces and new faces, so wonderful! The director's courage to reduce the settings to a horse carriage and a room, hats off to that! That's the true cinema of the auteur. Polanski did similar things. Tarantino can do it just as well. Even a four hour film in just one small room would work. It all depends on the script, if it's well written, and here's where our Quentin is a real master. Most of all things I liked the non-linear narrative. The last third tells what preceded the first two thirds. That's magnificent! This makes me want to see this film once again, this time paying new attention to how characters are reacting to each other.

Epic film Will definitely be a future classic. Its nice to see characters from previous Tarentiono films.

This movie came across like 'Heat' and 'Red Cliff' in-terms of running time, but for movies this good, you don't notice that..In contrast, I thought 'Interstellar' at the same running time was dull and over-wrought and way too far-fetched and I couldn't wait for that to finish. So the running time argument, cuts both ways. The running time therefore is a moot point. More's the point to that issue - it says on the cover how long a movie is, if you haven't got the patience and expect too much too soon, then, simply don't go for movies of this length. Simples. Tarantino has been around for a long time now. He knows how to make movies... I didn't like Django at all... it was too messy and gory and self-indulgent to say the least, but that did way better box office than this little number, right here. Was it the cast? more action? faster-paced? wider issues of race discussed in more depth than this? The Hateful Eight then. Is a very different movie to Django. Maybe this should be entitled the deceptive eight or deceitful eight instead. That's because every no-good low life son of a so and so character in this movie is duplicitous in some way, has a chip on their shoulder, a lie to sell, a story to tell and something else up their sleeve.... this is more than a cluedoeqsue whodunnit... this is a who goddamnwell dunno who dunnit...and more so.... forget Rev Green and Col. Mustard indeed... was this movie based on Cluedo? SLJ is again the main man for Tarantino... a regular in his castings... and lots of other familiar faces in there too such as Roth and the under used Madsen. Are we bored of seeing the same faces? Not really, it makes no difference at the end of the day... they are familiar names, tried and trusted, many directors do the same thing... so like the running time, that's another moot point others made a big deal out of...shame on them... Can't believe nearly 100 reviews on here only gave this one star.... This is hilarious and had me in stitches a lot of the time... even if there are serious elements of post civil war america and its racial issues.... but they take a back seat this time... this is just a situational comedy, but not really a comedy, who done it.... in a very unlikely setting... yes it is gory, but no where near Django levels... the non-linear story sequence is common place now... Mr. T doesn't do conventional or formulaic....he does things his way... and this works for me... I saw this movie in the cinema first and had to by the DVD as soon as it was released... This may not have been as well liked as Django - but I think comparisons to that are misplaced... take this on its own... Another Tarantino sludge-fest, with lots of dead people and we wonder how it all pans out....

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.

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.

For the physical product itself, totally awesome. The case is well made and the slip-cover is textured and such. Really cool. Even opens up to some art of the eight and the cabin. For the movie itself, also awesome! Don't get me wrong, it's slow as all hell. I mean.. really slow. It's 3 hours of conversations peppered with some blood, gore, and violence. I'd say 95% of the movie is probably just people talking but that's exactly why I love it. Each character has a past that they talk about which helps them feel more fleshed out. They didn't just show up and exist for the sake of the movie. They have histories that were brought into play and the acting accompanying these histories is just beautiful. It's like a game of Clue except everyone playing in a racist, foul-mouthed a**hat that's lived a messed up life and wants to take it out on everyone else. As far as I'm concerned, all of the 1-star reviews are coming from folks with short attention spans that need explosions, 2 minutes of dialogue and then more explosions. Some are upset about the avid use of the N word throughout the film but considering this movie is about a bunch of civil war vets, uneducated gang members and other mountain folk in the late 1800's, I don't see why they would censor anything they have to say and you bet your a** a good deal of them had a lot of hatred to spew in every which way. I think the dialogue, acting and overall plot are totally time-appropriate and make the entire movie a lot of fun. The story isn't about some grand adventure to save the world or kill Hitler. It's the story of some folks who end up in a cabin together and madness ensues. If you love Tarantino's dialogue throughout his previous films and the way the characters talk to one another, you'll love this film. If you can't pay attention to people telling a story for a few hours and you'd rather see explosions for 3 hours or loads of other eye-candy, go watch Transformers. I hear there's another mind-numbing installment of that in the works.

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

Even though there are a lot here that say this is a masterpiece of which I concur wholeheartedly with, I will take it a little further than that, and say it’s sumptuously with it’s whole package an deliciously makes my heart tender with delight, an don’t forget Glee, “The Hateful Eight” is a masterpiece in it’s own right no doubt about it, but the thing I love about it is, it’s the build up to it’s final conclusion, an so that I’ve seen here some people seem to think that others wont like it that way, I Think I can judge for myself whether that works for me or not, I think so, if you can’t understand the preparation it took for all the dialogue for every scene that can hold your attention for so long you just don’t have fait in speaking or listening to anything, understanding seems like a big step for people these days, I guess the abbreviated social media got them stump for words, an it’s even harder when you tell the truth, what’s the best thing here is, there was only fifteen people in the movie an it work to perfection, the original Eight an the two cooks (woman) the helper an the girl in the Davey-crochet out-fit an the man in the chair, plus Daisy Domergue brother, that was a shock to see my goodness I’ll leave it at that, an plus I’ve seen a lot of movies when people use the big N” word but in this one it was used in the most peculiar an funny way that I don’t think was offence, at least not to me, an especially when Walton Goggins was trying to say Daisy’s last name “Domergue” I couldn’t stop laughing, for laughing sake, I don’t know how Quentin Tarantino come up with that name, he must’ve been laughing, like i was, This Is A Masterpiece..An I Love It.. Love It.

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

Es una pelicula muy buena y no tuve ningun problema con la paqueteria y la caja de la pelicula