No rating
Disregarding this film’s content, disregarding its story, disregarding its characters, and disregarding its acting, this film is worth seeing simply for its sheer visual splendour. Tarantino has always been defined by his adherence to cinematic fundamentals, and much like the talented artist who constantly pushes himself to greater heights, so too does Tarantino use this film to push his skills to their, frankly, supernatural limits.
The Hateful Eight is a story about modern America that masquerades as a claustrophobic, Western whodunit.It is a story about a collection of stereotypes reacting to one another as much as it is a story about a group of people trapped in difficult circumstances. As one can imagine, due to the events of last week, I feel compelled to review something that stands to serve as a metaphor for the turmoil in the world right now.
The film’s title is a play on the fact that the eight central characters are not hateful because they are deserving of hate, but more so because they are all full of hate for each other. Make no mistake, some of the eight are hateful as well.
And so, the eight are comprised of: A black male bounty hunter, a white male bounty hunter, a white southern male sheriff, a Mexican male servant, a white English gentleman, a white male cowboy, a white southern male Confederate soldier, and, of course, the white woman who draws them all together.
I mention the race and gender of these characters because the race and gender of these characters genuinely matters to the story. This is a film about the wild west as much as it is about modern day America, and race and gender mattered then as much as they disappointingly do today.This is a film filled with uncensored, brutal language. It is filled with violence against people of colour as much as it is filled with violence against women. Further, that two of the non-white characters are male does little to elevate their social standing among the other white characters.
The facts of race and gender are absolutely intentional, and Tarantino spends almost three glorious hours dissecting the various social, cultural, and political factors that would motivate a gang of outlaws, vagabonds, and ingrates to hate each other.
I love Tarantino for the same reason that many people dislike him: He’s never subtle. In fact, if there’s anything to say about The Hateful Eight, it’s that the film represents what can only be described as peak Tarantino.
Any other director might have used the Ultra Panavision 70 mm film stock format to tell a bombastic, loud, and effects-heavy story. Tarantino uses the 70 mm format to tell a story that ultimately amounts to nothing more than a stage play. That question of format—that question of story medium—constantly rears its head. Tarantino repeatedly challenges his audience’s sensibilities, forcing us to ask ourselves why we’re watching a three-hour-long movie that’s staged almost exactly like a play.
The reason, of course, is that Tarantino knows of no other way to discuss complex American stories than by forcing his audience to confront their preconceived notions about right, wrong, just, fair, democratic, equal, and cinematic.
The question isn’t, “Why 70 mm?” The real question is, “Why does it take awesome 70 mm for us to see our world for what it is?”
Indeed, why must it always take big, awesome moments to force us out of our ideological bubbles? Why must it take the killing of a black man for America to consider that we don’t live in a post-race world? Why must it take a school shooting for America to consider that we don’t live in a post-arms world? Why must it take a woman losing the presidency to a man who exhibits racist, sexist, bigoted ideologies for America to consider that we don’t live in a world where gender doesn’t matter?
I conclude this review as I have concluded all reviews of films awarded a “No rating” designation: a score would be disrespectful on my part.
The film features a severe act of physical violence against a woman at the hands of a black man from the American north and a white man from the American south. The men spend the entire movie hating one another, and yet they are united in their cause against the woman. Tarantino has come under fire for this scene. He has been called sexist, misogynistic, and hateful. He has been derided for his abject lack of appreciation for the unity in our world. I wonder, however, if his critics have missed the point. After all, men of all races seem to be more than capable of working together, so long as they’re working against the progress of women.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnRbXn4-Yis
Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company.