Are you ready to take a deep soak in the mind of Tarantino?
His new mammoth Western, The Hateful Eight is a full-blown, bat-shit crazy epic built entirely from the wonderful words you’d expect in a QT film. Important thing is there are signs of growth yet again in Tarantino’s work.
We must begin with the presentation in the grand sense of the word. The Hateful Eight is the first film to be shot in Ultra Panavision 70 mm in almost 50 years. This is a large format that used to be the IMAX of the era. You see Lawrence of Arabia in 70. You see Ben Hur. Films with expansive scope. While The Hateful Eight is epic in story, visually it is rather claustrophobic making the decision to film such an intimate movie in this throwback format interesting. To explain it away I would say that if fits the vibe of the film. As hardcore as the particulars may be, it is a nostalgic piece that evokes Old Hollywood.
There will be a 2 week roadshow where about fifty 70mm prints will tour the country. This presentation will include a 12 minute intermission with a 4 minute overture. This is how Gone with the Wind was originally shown. It is a wonderful spectacle to witness, making cinema an event again and breaking out of the multiplex mold of mass consumption. The film is a bit of a Who-Dunnit and the intermission comes a perfect point in the film for the audience to ingest and speculate before the lunacy proceeds. SEEK THE ROAD SHOW OUT!!
The cast is stellar; a genuine ensemble that hits the tone of “Agatha Christie meets the Wild, Wild West” with perfection. Jennifer Jason Leigh is wonderful as Daisy Domergue. She utters very little dialogue but tells much of the story in her face. Watch the movie twice just to focus on her. Kurt Russell gruffs along just fine and Michael Madsen continues to be ever grateful that Tarantino makes movies. It is Sam Jackson’s show, however, as he masterfully explains the world to us. Leigh and Jackson deserve award noms as does Tarantino for script.
With The Hateful Eight Tarantino ups himself from Django as he limits the storytelling to pure word play. The characters are stuck in a stagecoach then confined to a cabin. So the “action” lives in the dialogue. A return to the Reservoir Dogs template that showcases just how good Tarantino can weave a story.