Review of The Hateful Eight (2015)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight (2015) is a tense, atmospheric Western that mixes Tarantino’s trademark sharp dialogue, meticulous plotting, and complex characters with the genre conventions of the American frontier. Known for its slow-burn pacing and claustrophobic setting, The Hateful Eight challenges its audience to look beyond its sprawling landscape and dig deep into the nature of betrayal, vengeance, and survival. It’s a film that examines the cruelty of human nature and the grudges that fester in the wake of conflict. At the same time, it revels in Tarantino’s signature blend of humor, violence, and intense dialogue exchanges.

Set against the backdrop of a snowy Wyoming landscape, the film brings together a group of strangers in a remote cabin, and what follows is a bloody and suspense-filled story where nothing is as it seems. Known for his stylistic flourishes, Tarantino uses a combination of a confined setting, carefully constructed character dynamics, and a non-linear narrative to craft a film that is both a deconstruction of the Western genre and an exploration of complex human morality.

Plot: A Snowbound Whodunit

The story of The Hateful Eight unfolds in a post-Civil War Wyoming, during a brutal winter storm. The film opens with bounty hunter John “The Hangman” Ruth (Kurt Russell) transporting his prisoner, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), to the town of Red Rock where she is to be hanged for her crimes. Along the way, they encounter fellow bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a self-appointed sheriff heading to Red Rock. Together, they find refuge from the blizzard in a secluded cabin known as Minnie’s Haberdashery.

Once inside, they meet a collection of strange characters, each with their own motivations and secrets. The group includes Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), a cowboy on his way home; Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the supposed hangman of Red Rock; Bob (Demian Bichir), the Mexican stableman; and General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern), a Confederate soldier with a simmering hatred toward Major Warren.

The cabin, a confined space filled with hostile individuals, becomes a powder keg, and tensions rise as the characters’ true intentions and identities come to light. As the storm rages outside, the group is forced to confront each other’s secrets, and the film devolves into a bloody, brutal standoff that exposes the ugliest aspects of human nature.

Themes: Justice, Vengeance, and the Corruption of Power

One of the central themes of The Hateful Eight is the idea of justice and revenge. The characters in the film are all driven by personal vendettas, seeking their own brand of justice in a world that has failed them. Ruth’s desire to ensure that Daisy faces her punishment is mirrored by Major Warren’s thirst for retribution against those who wronged him in the past, and the film’s overarching plot revolves around this cyclical pursuit of vengeance.

Tarantino’s focus on these themes reveals a dark view of the world, where people are consumed by their need for retribution, and where the notion of justice is subjective and often unjust. Throughout the film, the characters wrestle with questions of morality and whether or not their violent actions can be justified by their perceived wrongdoings. The film’s violent events are portrayed with an almost theatrical excess, but this violence isn’t simply for shock value—it’s a comment on the senselessness of revenge and the destructive nature of hatred.

The film also explores the corrupting influence of power. Each character is, in some way, attempting to exert control over others—whether it’s Ruth’s domination of Daisy, Warren’s status as a former Union soldier with a bitter past, or the manipulative schemes of the characters behind closed doors. In a microcosm of a post-Civil War America, these power struggles serve as a reminder that power often breeds corruption and perpetuates cycles of violence.

Characters: A Collection of Antiheroes

Tarantino is known for creating memorable, multi-dimensional characters, and The Hateful Eight is no exception. Each character is a morally ambiguous antihero, driven by their own desires, grudges, and survival instincts. The film is essentially a character study where no one is fully good or evil, but rather a mixture of both, and it’s this complexity that makes the film so captivating.

• John Ruth (Kurt Russell): Ruth is the quintessential bounty hunter—a man who believes in the law, but is also willing to dispense his own brand of justice when necessary. His relationship with Daisy is complicated; while he brings her to justice, he also seems to take some perverse pleasure in keeping her under control. Kurt Russell’s performance is commanding, and Ruth is one of the film’s more sympathetic yet flawed characters.
• Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh): Daisy is the film’s central antagonist, a ruthless criminal who seems to take pleasure in provoking her captors. She is manipulative, cunning, and determined to escape the noose. Jennifer Jason Leigh’s performance is one of the standout elements of the film. Her portrayal of Daisy is chilling, and her ability to elicit both hate and sympathy from the audience is remarkable.
• Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson): Warren is a former Union soldier who is now a bounty hunter, seeking justice for the atrocities committed against him during the war. His stoic nature masks a deep well of pain and a thirst for vengeance, especially against the Confederate soldiers who wronged him. Jackson brings an undeniable gravitas to the role, and his dynamic with the other characters is one of the film’s most compelling aspects.
• Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins): A southern racist who claims to be the sheriff of Red Rock, Mannix is a complex character who seems to represent the deep divides in post-Civil War America. Goggins brings a mix of humor, tension, and vulnerability to the role, making Mannix one of the more unpredictable characters in the film.
• Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), and Bob (Demian Bichir): These characters round out the ensemble, each with their own motivations and secrets. Madsen’s Joe Gage is the quiet, mysterious cowboy, while Roth’s Mobray, a supposed hangman, brings a sense of dark humor and deception to the story. Bichir’s Bob is a more subtle character, quietly serving as a symbol of the film’s racial tensions.

Direction and Cinematography: Tarantino’s Signature Style

Quentin Tarantino’s direction is as distinctive as ever in The Hateful Eight. The film is deliberately slow, allowing tension to build in each scene. Much of the suspense in the film comes from the lengthy dialogue exchanges, where characters spar verbally and emotionally, revealing their inner thoughts and motivations. Tarantino’s use of language is sharp, witty, and often brutal, with conversations about race, morality, and history lingering in the air long after the characters have stopped speaking.

The cinematography, led by Robert Richardson, is striking, especially considering the film’s predominantly interior setting. The use of 70mm Ultra Panavision, a rare format, gives the film an epic visual scale, even in its confined settings. The sweeping shots of the snow-covered Wyoming wilderness contrast sharply with the cramped interiors of the cabin, highlighting the sense of isolation and entrapment that dominates the film. The close-ups of the characters’ faces and the intense, almost claustrophobic framing emphasize the psychological tension at play.

The film’s pacing, while slow, is deliberate, and it rewards patience. The build-up of suspense is palpable, and when the violence finally erupts, it is shocking in its intensity, as expected in a Tarantino film. The slow revelation of each character’s dark pasts and true intentions, coupled with the explosive bursts of violence, creates a sense of inevitability that permeates the narrative.

Music: A Haunting Score by Ennio Morricone

One of the most noteworthy aspects of The Hateful Eight is its hauntingly beautiful score, composed by the legendary Ennio Morricone. The film marks Morricone’s first collaboration with Tarantino, and his music provides a perfect complement to the story’s bleak tone and relentless tension. The score incorporates a mixture of traditional Western themes, with sweeping orchestral passages, and darker, more eerie motifs that highlight the film’s suspense and unease.

The use of Morricone’s score is particularly effective during moments of quiet tension, where the music fills the silence and amplifies the sense of impending doom. His main theme for the film, which repeats throughout, is both foreboding and melancholic, capturing the stark isolation and the moral ambiguity of the characters.

Conclusion: A Brutal, Suspenseful, and Thought-Provoking Western

*Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight is a masterclass in tension, character-driven storytelling, and moral ambiguity. The film is slow, deliberate, and often darkly humorous, with moments of shocking violence that are both cathartic and brutal. The isolation of the cabin setting, combined with Tarantino’s sharp dialogue and stunning cinematography, creates a sense of dread that hangs over the film from start to finish.

At its core, The Hateful Eight is a film about human nature—about how people’s pasts and desires shape their actions and how the quest for vengeance and justice can blur the lines between right and wrong. It’s a film that offers no easy answers, only a relentless exploration of morality, survival, and revenge. Tarantino’s touch is unmistakable, and while The Hateful Eight may not be for everyone, those who appreciate character-driven narratives, intricate plotting, and powerful performances will find much to admire in this bloody and suspenseful Western.