The Hateful Eight - A film of two halves (even moreso than 'Kill Bill!')

Film-lore goes that Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill’ was running so long that the studio took it upon itself to split it in two, hence giving us parts 1 and 2.  That was probably true, but I get the feeling that the same could have been applied to Tarantino’s latest offering The Hateful Eight.’ However, perhaps one reason this never happened was because no one ever bother watching the first half!

As much as I do love Tarantino’s work, I do sometimes think that portions of his various epics can be a little ‘overblown’ and wordy for the sake of it.  I know that good dialogue establishes character motivation and development.  But then if it’s done too much then I start fiddling with my phone until it’s over.  I felt that this was the case for the first half.  We’re treated to one long dialogue-heavy scene after the next.  Yes, they’re well-acted and every star on the screen could probably headline a mainstream film on their own, but I have to confess that my attention started to wander.  We’re introduced to the eight (all-star) cast members who are all assorted Wild West types destined to get trapped together in an out-of-the-way wooden house during a blizzard.  And, once they’re stuck with each other’s company, they don’t just rely on their sharp tongues to spar with each other – they have guns, too.

Samuel L Jackson’s (arguably) breakout role came in Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ and, although he’s never had a quiet day since, he has occasionally struggled to be quite as formidable his former hitman.  Not here.  The coolest dude in Hollywood is back with a vengeance.  Despite great performances from Tarantino ‘stalwarts’ Michael Madson, Kurt Russel, Janet Jason Leigh, the wonderful Tim Roth (and even Channing Tatum!), it’s Jackson who steals every scene.  Although Walton Goggins does deserve a mention – I just can't remember him in anything else.
I did enjoy The Hateful Eight, just more the second half.  It’s where everything comes together.  I won’t go into the hows and whys of everything and who’s going to double-cross who as that will run into ‘spoiler territory’ but when the bullets do start flying it is a welcome relief from the constant dialogue. 

When I watched it for the first time, I definitely enjoyed it.  However, a couple of years later when I decided to sit down and re-watch it, I actually enjoyed it even more.  Yes, I’d still say that the first half was a lot slower and less dramatic than the second, but it didn’t drag half as much as the first time I watched it.  Overall, I’d describe ‘The Hateful Eight’ as a longer version of ‘Reservoir Dogs’ set in the Wild West.  It’s basically a violent, claustrophobic little number with much dialogue and plenty of characters stabbing each other (or rather shooting to be precise) in the back for reasons that only eventually become apparent.  Just don’t zone out too much in the first half – the second act more than makes up for the talking (although ‘Reservoir Dogs’ did have a better soundtrack in my opinion!).  Just get ready for yet more bad language and blood splattering across your screen!
8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one