SPOILER-FREE
A new Tarantino film is always a treat.

There were plenty of scandals and rumors surrounding this film, but the only one that piqued my interest was hearing that it took place in the “Django Universe”. My personal favorite Tarantino films are his new(er) action-heavy pictures like Kill Bill, Basterds and Django, and I was expecting this one to follow in suit. Seeing the trailer laid that assumption to rest, depicting just a single location and less than a dozen characters total. It seemed like Tarantino doing Clue, and I was fine with that. Hateful Eight did not disappoint. It has well developed characters, a tense soundtrack and dark humor, everything we’ve come to expect from him. He’s truly on his A-game here.

This movie is not like Django though. It’s actually more like a spiritual successor to Reservoir Dogs. It’s a “talker”. There is some amazing action, but really, about 90% of this film’s 3hr. runtime is jaw jacking. Even considering that, I’m hard pressed to find anything wrong with this movie. It may not be my favorite type of Tarantino film, but it is still far superior to most Hollywood offerings. 

Tarantino has always had masterfully compiled soundtracks, mostly containing existing music. This is his most originally scored film, but it really doesn’t miss a beat. The composer kept the tension high with a familiar sound motif reminiscent of Basterds and Django. 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Tim Roth’s performance. For an actor that usually plays hardened crooks and such, he actually provides a lot of the comic relief. In a room full of heavyweight actors I think he managed to steal every shot he was in.