{"id":5394,"date":"2016-01-18T20:44:51","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T19:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=5394"},"modified":"2016-01-24T18:42:17","modified_gmt":"2016-01-24T17:42:17","slug":"the-hateful-eight-dir-quentin-tarantino-home-reviewed-by-fran-slater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=5394","title":{"rendered":"The Hateful Eight<\/em> (2016), dir. Quentin Tarantino, HOME, reviewed by Fran Slater"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Hateful Eight, dir. Quentin Tarantino, HOME<\/a>, January 17 2016<\/p>\n

Few films receive the levels of interest and attention that a new Quentin Tarantino release does. Over the last couple of months you\u2019ll have seen the images everywhere. Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell standing in the snow with their guns firmly grasped in their fingers. The close-up of Jennifer Jason Leigh and her black eye. The horses dragging a cart through the white landscape, a red trail snaking through the snow behind them. And wherever you saw those images \u2013 whether on the side of a bus or blazoned on the nearest billboard \u2013 they\u2019ll have been accompanied by the pull quotes from our best and worst newspapers and magazines. Even at HOME, Manchester\u2019s newest and best cinema, you could see these quotations on the movie poster in the entrance to the building: \u2018Only Tarantino can do this\u2019 says the Telegraph; \u2018Agatha Christie with gags, guns and Samuel L Jackson,\u2019 says The Guardian; \u2018Tarantino\u2019s masterpiece\u2019 exclaims the Daily Mail. But are we really meant to believe that? Does Tarantino\u2019s latest really beat Kill Bill<\/em>? Does it rate higher that Reservoir Dogs<\/em>? Does The Hateful Eight<\/em> really pack more of a punch than Pulp Fiction<\/em>?<\/p>\n

On the evidence of the first hour, the answer would be no. Although all of his films feature multi-layered scenes of complex and drawn out dialogue, when asked for a favourite feature of his work most people would pick out the fast-paced action and intense violence. In his latest, despite the dead bodies being transported by Jackson\u2019s bounty hunter character, the action is notably absent. Instead, we are treated to a long-winded and somewhat meandering discussion between the film\u2019s four key characters. This section definitely has its moments, there\u2019s no doubt about that: it\u2019s funny at times and there are quips and one-liners that match up to any of those in the Tarantino armoury. Most importantly however, it\u2019s a great vehicle for the acting abilities of Jackson, Russell, Jason-Leigh, and newcomer Walton Goggins. This overly long opening maintains the interest with its rhythm and dialogue, but it doesn\u2019t get the blood boiling in the way that the openers of Kill Bill<\/em> and Pulp Fiction<\/em> do.<\/p>\n

Hints as to why the above papers waxed lyrical about the film begin to appear when the horse and cart carrying these characters arrives at Minnie\u2019s Haberdashery. With the main bulk of the cast now together in a room, the racial and political tensions start to simmer, and the already palpable gender divide (more on that later) becomes all the more prominent. Still, though, as The Hangman (Kurt Russell) insists on getting to know every person in the room on an intimate basis, there is still half an hour or so of introductions to get through.<\/p>\n

If this film had been directed by almost anyone else, it might have become boring by now. If a film takes an hour and a half to set the scene it\u2019s probably going to be a flop. But this is Tarantino. Even when there is such a long lull in the excitement there\u2019s something so captivating about his characters that we still can\u2019t tear our eyes from the screen. And, luckily, this so-so hour and a half has been leading to an hour that really does rival the brilliance of the films mentioned above. Driven by Jackson, as so many of Tarantino\u2019s best moments are, this film explodes into life during a brutal and brilliant monologue which culminates in the first of many murders. Following this we see so many of the Tarantino staples, and we see them done expertly: creative killings; film-altering flashbacks; changing perspectives, and surprising twists and turns that never seem too contrived. And, of course, a hell of a lot of gore. For a while, it feels like he might just have surpassed much of what came in his previous seven films.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the ending. As well as the hype and excitement, there\u2019s something else that comes with every Tarantino film. Controversy. With Django Unchained<\/em> we had concerns over the treatment of race. With Pulp Fiction<\/em> it was drugs. And if we go back to the release of Kill Bill<\/em>, you might remember the debates over the excessive use of violence. With The Hateful Eight<\/em> the debate has so far been quieter than usual. But, when it has poked its head out of the sand, misogyny has been the issue on many people\u2019s minds. As a huge Tarantino fan I have often found the claims against him to be nothing more than nonsense. This time, though, I find them harder to brush off. I don\u2019t for a second think that the man who created Kill Bill<\/em> and Jackie Brown<\/em> is a misogynist, but I do feel that the violence towards the only main female character in this film did go a little too far. She is hit repeatedly in the early sections of the film. It\u2019s uncomfortable to watch. Can we justify it simply by suggesting that Tarantino was trying to show just how \u2018hateful\u2019 his characters are? Without giving any spoilers, there\u2019s a scene at the conclusion which leaves a particularly nasty taste in the mouth. It does a lot of the things that Tarantino is often accused of and against which I have defended him in the past. It\u2019s gratuitous for gratuity\u2019s sake; it\u2019s brutal with no real reason, and it\u2019s a scene that is pretty hard to swallow.<\/p>\n

So, how to sum up what can only be described as a mixed review? This is a film worth watching for the moments when it hits its heights; it\u2019ll make you laugh, cringe, cover your eyes with your fingers, and marvel at the majestic cinematography and top-notch acting. But it\u2019s also a film that requires a great deal of patience. And depending on your sensibilities it could also leave you feeling a little bit squeamish as you walk out the door. Tarantino\u2019s masterpiece it isn\u2019t, but there are sections that demonstrate just what a master he can be when he\u2019s at the top of his game.
\n 
\nFran Slater<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Hateful Eight, dir. Quentin Tarantino, HOME, January 17 2016 Few films receive the levels of interest and attention that a new Quentin Tarantino release does. Over the last couple of months you\u2019ll have seen the images everywhere. Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell standing in the snow with their guns firmly grasped in their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[14,283],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Hateful Eight (2016), dir. 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