The Hateful Eight (2015) - 70mm Roadshow Version

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 187 min

Quentin Tarantino's latest, The Hateful Eight, is his second Western after 2012's Django Unchained. Whereas Django Unchained was a hero's journey that spanned the scope of the Southern frontier, The Hateful Eight is a claustrophobic who-dun-it picture occupied by eight or so flawed bastards who barely qualify as heroes. Mainly confined to one location, The Hateful Eight makes for one of the most unbearably tense and nail biting cinematic experiences in recent years. Imagine if the tavern sequence from Inglourious Basterds was an entire film, and you have The Hateful Eight. Tarantino acts as the puppeteer of suspense here, pulling on the strings of his cinematic marionette to the point where audience members will find themselves squirming in their seats. Easily Tarantino's most vicious and vile picture to date, The Hateful Eight tosses a bunch of players from post-Civil War America into a confined space and allows them go to town on one another.

It's worth mentioning that I saw The Hateful Eight in 70mm as part of Tarantino's Roadshow Version of the film. The Roadshow Version of the film treats it as if it were an actual stage play or a broadway musical, much the same way that prestige pictures like Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia were treated back in the early 60s. The Roadshow Version comes complete with a physical program, a musical overture, and an intermission, thereby expanding the film's 167 minute run time to a whopping 187 minute cinematic experience. 

While Tarantino has stated that his film stands on its own, even separated from the event-like lavishes of its Roadshow cut, I personally believe that the Roadshow experience greatly affects one's experience and opinion with the film. As soon as the Overture title card popped up and Ennio Morricone's music blared across the soundtrack, I immediately felt entranced. Morricone's music not only sets the tone for the horrific picture, but hypnotizes you with its gothic sound. The intermission also comes at the perfect moment within the film, thereby allowing viewers to soak in the previous triumphant scene, discuss the film with their friends, and most likely get up and go to the bathroom. The Hateful Eight may be a great movie, but the Roadshow Version of the film makes for an unforgettable experience that arguably amplifies The Hateful Eight's filmic affect. 

Eight bastards brave the worst blizzard of all time.

The Hateful Eight opens with one Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) stumbling upon a stagecoach occupied by the bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his prisoner Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ruth informs Warren that he is taking Daisy to Red Rock in order to have her hung and to earn the reward for her capture. However, an unforeseen blizzard complicates matters, thereby forcing Ruth and his captive towards a stagecoach lodge for shelter. When Ruth arrives at the lodge, he immediately suspects that one of the lodge's attendants is not who they say they are, and that somebody is plotting to break Daisy free of her chains. What follows is one hell of a nail biter as friends become enemies, enemies become friends, and backs are both metaphorically and literally stabbed.

Tarantino's latest is similar to John Ford's Stagecoach in which a bunch of strangers are thrown together into a live or die situation. In fact, many of his extreme wide shots recall the great Ford's work on many classic Westerns. Tarantino also pays tribute to Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller and even Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence by setting his Western theatrics amongst the snow. Few snow Westerns ever get made, so it's a pleasure to finally have another after who knows how long. The film also recalls John Carpenter's The Thing in how it drops a group of people into the snow and forces them to play mental chess with one another as they try and figure out who is who. It's all the more ironic that The Hateful Eight stars not only The Thing's Kurt Russell, but even features a score by The Thing's composer, Ennio Morricone. 

Tarantino's previous two films, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, were particularly enjoyable to watch in how he set his novelistic adventures amongst crucial points in U.S. history. Inglourious Basterds confronted the Nazis and World War II head on by eliminating Adolf Hitler altogether in a fantastical matter while Django Unchained confronted the harsh issue of slavery by allowing a black hero the chance to fight back against white slavers. The Hateful Eight tackles another hot blooded point in U.S. history, that of post-Civil War America, by placing former Union and Confederate characters against one another. It's tense enough that The Hateful Eight's characters have to shack up underneath a cold roof while one bounty hunter investigates who is trying to free his prisoner, but the underlying tension of the Civil War makes the experience all the more palpable. History and genre buffs will get a kick out of Tarantino's subversion and incorporation of both the Western genre and the tension of post-Civil War America.

John Ruth and Major Marquis talk it out.

Every Tarantino film features a selection of unforgettable characters, and The Hateful Eight features exactly that. He provides the viewer with several characters to root for as well as some to rally against. What makes The Hateful Eight such a fantastic viewing experience is that Tarantino plays with the viewers' expectations as to who is a morally righteous character and who is a backstabbing liar. In fact, Tarantino purposefully pits characters against one another early on in the film in order for the viewer to hate one and love the other, only to find them team up later on due to a common cause. It is this subversion of the audience's expectations, as well as the deeply layered characters who inhabit the film, that makes The Hateful Eight a character driven dream to watch.

Performances are excellent all around, with everybody giving their A-game to go along with their excellent characters. Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson are especially fantastic as the film's two lead characters. Each gives one of the best performances of their career here, fully embodying their malicious but righteous characters. Supporting performances by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins, Michael Madsen, Demian Bichir, and even Channing Tatum are a delight. While no character comes out of the film unscathed or unbattered, everyone leaves an impression. Viewers will find themselves debating which character they adore the most, as well as who was the most vile and deserved their gory end.

Tarantino also extracts a lot of great comedy out of his film and actors. There's a great repeating joke about a door that won't shut, so the characters have to constantly hold it closed and hammer nails into it. Pretty much any line that comes out of Sam Jackson's mouth is hilarious or bad ass, especially whenever he drops a curse word here or there. Demian Bichir, who is mostly unknown to American audiences despite appearances in Machete Kills and The Heat, is absolutely hilarious as Bob the Mexican. Even Tim Roth, who hasn't been seen in a major film of this caliber in a long time, is extremely bubbly and joyful to watch. No Tarantino film, despite how vicious or malicious, ever fails to get a laugh out of the audience. By the end of The Hateful Eight's violent proceedings, you'll be hard pressed not to have laughed at either an honest joke or simply the film's darkly comedic set up.

Jackson "sticks it" to Madsen.

While every Tarantino film may be packed to the brim with substance, the filmmaker became such a household name because of his memorable style and admiration for blood and gore. The Hateful Eight definitely doesn't hold back on the gory antics that Tarantino has built a career on, especially once one makes it past the intermission. Once the first blood vomit hits the screen, its an all out gore fest from there. He holds back nothing in this film. Characters' heads explode, balls are shot, and even arms are chopped off.

I also personally found the film to be Tarantino's most disturbing and vicious flick to date. Although one's opinion of a film is entirely subjective, several scenes made my stomach churn or my eyes squint, especially a detailed massacre that could have been depicted off screen. Unlike previous Tarantino films, the violence found here is not glamorous or heroic in nature or purpose. Instead, characters murder one another, including unnamed innocents, for their own selfish goals. It's tough to watch at points, but that's Tarantino for you, always pushing the envelope. Although, it was pretty fun to watch one unnamed actor's head explode on screen, considering their pedigree and public image.

The last masterstroke in Tarantino's latest is the score by veteran composer Ennio Morricone. After all, Tarantino always steals from Morricone's extensive library of music for most of his films. Therefore, it makes sense for Morricone to finally come aboard and compose an entire Tarantino film. Tarantino apparently convinced Morricone to come out of retirement in order to compose the film. Thank God for Morricone's break from retirement, because his score for the film is one of his all time greats. It stands next to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Mission, and even Cinema Paradiso in how unique and memorable it is. It's an utterly iconic, and especially haunting and gothic, piece of score that music and movie fans will celebrate alike. I know that it might sound quick to call something a destined classic, but The Hateful Eight's score is exactly that.

"You're not getting a warning, but a bullet."

Upon initial viewing, The Hateful Eight will probably disturb some viewers and leave them quite winded. It's not often that three hour films, especially one this malicious, are set within one location. However, upon dwelling on the film's powerful effect, count me in as a fan. Tarantino has done it again by going back to his Reservoir Dogs roots and setting his latest film within a confined location and with a minimal cast. It's also fun to see that at least six of the "hateful eight" are Tarantino regulars. Although hardly a Western, it's more a game of Clue, The Hateful Eight is one of this year's most brash and daring character studies. Story and character are the name of the game, not plot or spectacle. Tarantino fashions his snow Western off of the mechanics and staging of a stage play, thereby making the film, as well as its Roadshow Version, an unforgettable time at the movies. It may be a tad too malicious for my taste at points, but The Hateful Eight is a great film through and through.

Rating: 8/10 - An immensely vicious and vile picture that finds a way to get laughs out of the viewer while making them squirm in their seat at the same time.

Horror Stack - From Dusk till Dawn (1996)

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Cast: George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Tom Savini

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 108 min

Horror Stack is a series dedicated to reviewing films within the horror genre specifically during October in order to get myself into the mood of the Halloween season. Whether I've seen them before or not at all, those stacks of horror film DVDs and Blu-Rays are never better than during October.

From Dusk till Dawn is a fantastic action/horror hybrid that pays tribute to all things 'grindhouse' and genre cinema in general. Excluding the anthology film Four Rooms, From Dusk till Dawn was the first true collaboration between director/writer buddies Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) and Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Sin City). Besides their affinity for genre films, gore, and expletives, the two filmmakers could not be more different than one another. 

Tarantino directs slow paced dramatic thrillers that feature oodles of dialog and odes to his favorite films. His films tend to be critically and commercially successful too, garnering numerous Academy Awards and cementing various actors' careers for good (i.e. Tim Roth, Uma Thurman, Michael Madsen, John Travolta, Christoph Waltz). He also works with fairly big budgets and only shoots on film. Tarantino is such an accomplished filmmaker that each new film of his is typically regarded as an event amongst film buffs.

Rodriguez on the other hand is a completely different filmmaker. He works cheap and always shoots on digital. He also works with impressive casts, but rarely crafts memorable characters for said actors. Rodriguez's cinematic odes to his favorite genre films tend to come off more as pastiches than legitimate homages (excluding El Mariachi trilogy). However, the man has a recognizable name, and a small group of film buffs admire the filmmaker for his DIY filmmaking techniques. Whereas Tarantino has consistently grown as a filmmaker, Rodriguez has slumped and fallen. 

George Clooney takes aim at John Hawkes gangster style.

However, neither filmmaker's importance should be taken for granted. Each played an important part in the initial low budget indie scene of the 90s, Rodriguez with El Mariachi and Tarantino with Reservoir Dogs. Therefore, it's nice that the two filmmakers drifted towards one another with From Dusk till Dawn in 1996. The film is the perfect split between the two. Rodriguez directed and brought all of his energetic camera work and eye for mayhem to the film while Tarantino starred and wrote the script. Even though one could argue that the film is both theirs, various elements of the film are more Rodriguez than Tarantino and more Tarantino than Rodriguez. The general consensus is that the first half is a Tarantino film while the second half is more a Rodriguez film. Regardless, From Dusk till Dawn is the true 'grindhouse' collaboration between the two and a more honest love letter to exploitation cinema than either filmmakers' future Grindhouse double feature.

Newcomers should be warned that From Dusk till Dawn is infamous for its third act twist in which the film completely shifts genres. Therefore, do not read any further if you wish to experience the film for yourself. You've been warned.

From Dusk till Dawn tells the story of the Gecko Brothers, Seth (George Clooney) and Richie (Quentin Tarantino), two notorious criminals who are currently making their way to Mexico in order to lay low after robbing a bank. The two hold a family hostage and force them to drive them to Mexico. The family, composing of Jacob (Harvey Keitel), Kate (Juliette Lewis), Scott (Ernest Liu), has no say in the matter and plays along with the brothers' game. After the group successfully crosses the border, they rendezvous at the Titty Twister, a trucker bar, until Seth's contact meets up with them. Unfortunately, the group picks the worse bar in the country, as the Titty Twister turns out to be a bar run by vampires! The rag tag group fights for their lives against an onslaught of vampires, along with the help of fellow bikers Sex Machine (Tom Savini) and Frost (Fred Williamson). 

The two brothers land themselves in Vampire Hell.

From Dusk till Dawn is an excellent blend of all things action, suspense, thriller, comedy, exploitation, and grindhouse. The film features not only an incredible cast of characters (courtesy of Tarantino's excellent writing), but also a plethora of gory special effects and amazing animatronic creatures. From Dusk till Dawn is such a great film because it features a memorable cast of characters with well defined backgrounds and characteristics. It's one thing for a film to feature head decapitations, murderous vampires, and buckets of gore. However, if you combine said elements of genre cinema with excellent characters, than you have a film that viewers will root for and get behind. Tarantino did this as well with Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, and Django Unchained by creating genre films that homaged his favorite films of the past but also featured excellent characters that most genre films of the past never had. The cinematic rule learned here is: always have great characters, and you can get away with anything.

The Gecko Brothers are a tricky pair of leads for a film of this nature, as neither is morally upright or particularly redeemable. While Richie does nothing but creep his way through the picture until his death, Seth showcases a sense of moral righteousness even if he is a murderous thief. He seems to be against killing innocent people who harm him in no way. Look to his tough but honest regard for the middle aged hostage at the beginning of the film or Jacob's family. Seth will kill you if he has too, but ultimately doesn't want too. He puts on a tough act, but deep down is ultimately a redeemable character, just barely though.

Jacob is another interesting character who undergoes the same arc as Mel Gibson's character from Signs in that he gains his faith back in God. He starts off as a hardened widow who finds himself caught in a tricky situation when Seth and Richie threaten to murder his children. Fortunately, Jacob plays along with them and becomes an integral part in defeating the vampires. It's a God send that Rodriguez and Tarantino were not only able to create memorable characters, but were able to populate said characters with excellent actors like Clooney, Tarantino himself, and Keitel. 

When this is the cast of your movie, you really can't go wrong.

From Dusk till Dawn also features some of the best damn cameos and supporting performances this side of the 90s. Appearances by genre legends John Saxon (Enter the Dragon, A Nightmare on Elm Street), Michael Parks (Death Wish V, The Evictors), Fred Williamson (Inglorious Bastards, Vigilante), and Tom Savini (Friday the 13th, Dawn of the Dead) spice up the film's genre infused proceedings. The film also features appearances by Rodriguez's good 'ol friends Danny Trejo (Machete), Salma Hayek (Desperado), and Cheech Marin in a tri-role performance as a border patrol officer, a vampire, and Seth's contact! Along with small appearances by John Hawkes, Kelly Preston, Greg Nicotero, and band Tito & Tarantula, From Dusk till Dawn has one of the best ensemble casts of any action film to date.

Rodriguez's eye for action is as spot on as his other 90s action pictures, El Mariachi and Desperado. It's a joy to see Rodriguez play with practical gun and gore effects in his action scenes as well, as the filmmaker would go on to ditch all things practical in favor of digital this and that in Once Upon a Tim in Mexico and the Machete films. From Dusk till Dawn is truly Rodriguez at his peak, working with both an excellent cast, crafting memorable action, and directing a great script by his buddy Tarantino. Even though Rodriguez would go onto create Sin City, arguably the best film in his entire filmography, From Dusk till Dawn is consistently my favorite film of his purely for its gung-ho story and senseless regard for reality or restraint.

Unfortunately, the film is held down by only a few minor flaws. As far as mythology building goes, From Dusk till Dawn has no interest in it. While the first half of the film is tight and to the point, the vampire portion of the film is filled with plot holes and nagging questions. For example, how is this the first time that any survivors have put up a fight against these vampires so easily? Has every biker fallen at every vampires' hand before? After all, Fred Williamson picks up vampires like nobody's business and stakes them to death as if he were taking out the trash. I guess it helps when you are George Clooney or Tom Savini, as you will most likely out live Biker #1 or Biker #2. Still, it's a frustrating question and one that pops up in your head once the vampire mayhem begins.

Also, why does each vampires' death vary so greatly? Some explode, some melt, some ooze goo, and others burst into flames. It's all fun and games to Tarantino and Rodriguez, but frustrating to those hoping for a semblance of rule establishment. The two filmmakers throw all care to the wind when Clooney rips the head off of a vampire only for its leftover body to turn into a physical rat creature! There is no explanation or precedent for it either! A decapitated vampire literally turns into a rat creature. Therefore, one must throw all reason to the wind in order to properly enjoy From Dusk till Dawn. It's just a slight betrayal by the two filmmakers to establish believable and legitimate characters in a world where anything can happen monster wise. 

Academy Award winning actor George Clooney ladies and gentlemen.

Besides the script's disregard for rule establishment concerning its monsters, From Dusk til Dawn also features Rodriguez's flaws as a fast paced filmmaker. The film is littered with continuity errors concerning Clooney's revolver shooting. Sometimes the gun can fire seven to twelve shots, and sometimes it can only fire a few before needing to be reloaded. Regardless, Rodriguez and Tarantino should have chosen a different signature hand gun for their lead protagonist to blaze away with.

Tarantino and Rodriguez would go on to direct a Grindhouse double feature in 2007, consisting of Rodriguez's Planet Terror and Tarantino's Death Proof. Whereas From Dusk till Dawn feels like an honest to goodness collaboration between two different artists, the two Grindhouse films feel awfully disparate from one another. Planet Terror is overstuffed with unnecessary characters and silly pastiche while Death Proof is a slow paced dialog fest with minimal exploitation elements. Therefore, viewers should turn towards From Dusk till Dawn if they want to see the true 'grindhouse' collaboration between Tarantino and Rodriguez, not that silly filth from 2007. Highly recommended amongst genre fanatics and Tarantino heads.

Rating: 8/10 - Mild flaws are the only thing keeping From Dusk till Dawn from being one of the all time great horror films. Still, it's easily one of the best horror films to come out of the 90s.

Franchise:

From Dusk till Dawn (Robert Rodriguez, 1996)

From Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (Scott Spiegel, 1999)

From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (P. J. Pesce, 2000)