Review: The Hated Eight

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Since his directorial debut in Rent dogs, going through the film that enshrined him in pulp Fiction, it has been customary to find Quentin Tarantino presenting its peculiar way of making cinema in works that evoke different cinematographic genres. Blackexplotation (Jackie Brown), martial arts (Kill Bill) it's war (Inglourious Basterds) were some of the genres that received a “tarantinesque” guise and originated films that once and for all established the name of Tarantino among those of the great contemporary directors.

In 2012, it was time for the western to be presented from the perspective of the filmmaker, which resulted in Django Unchained, one of the most successful features in the director's career and Oscar winner for Best Screenplay, also written by Tarantino. Such success may have contributed for the director to remain with both feet planted in the North American genre by nature and perform a second western, The eight hated (The Hateful Eight, EUA, 2015), feature film that hits theaters in Brazil this Thursday (07).

Set shortly after the American Civil War, The eight hated it starts when, during a heavy snowfall, a coach is stopped in the middle of the road by a mysterious man. Within it are John “The Executioner” Ruth (Kurt Russell), bounty hunter known for always delivering his orders alive, to be hanged, and Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the wanted that is worth $ 10,000, dead or alive. Known to Ruth, the man who hitchhikes on the stage is Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a war veteran, who also has a reward to be collected for transporting three wanted malefactors; however, unlike his professional colleague, the hunter Warren takes his duly killed.

hateful eight
The Hated Eight | Image: Disclosure

Destined for the city of Red Rocks, place where The Executioner must deliver Daisy for the hanging, the Major is accepted for transportation. On the way, they find Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), which also needs to arrive at Red Rocks, to supposedly assume the position of new city sheriff. Chris boards as the fourth passenger on the stage, who, due to the bad weather, needs to stop at the Minnie Mink (Dana Gourrier), which leaves the place in the care of the Mexican Bob (Demián Bichir), to take a trip to the north of the country. On the spot, passengers of the newly arrived stage meet guests already installed: the executor Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the farmer Joe Cage (Michael Madsen) it's the General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern). Over the course of the night, all the tensions resulting from the recent war conflict come to the fore, which triggers a series of events capable of revealing what the intentions of each individual present there really are.

If there is something that is always expected from a film Quentin Tarantino is the technical whim. Beautifully photographed by Robert Richardson, partner of the filmmaker since Kill Bill, The eight hated it is a beautiful film to be seen. The white landscape due to the winter in the state of Wyoming contributes to the realization of beautiful plans that, unfortunately, are only present in the first act of the feature film. However, Richardson's great work is also noticeable (perhaps even more evidently) in the internal scenes, which develop inside the warehouse, since it is a dark environment, always very difficult to photograph in order to pass a genuine feeling of oppression and discomfort, something essential to the narrative of this film.

Os Oito Odiados
The Hated Eight | Image: Disclosure

The editing work carried out by Fred Raskin it deserves equal prominence, since the three hours and seven minutes of projection take place at a good pace and those who are used to watching long films know how challenging it is for an editor to assign a good pace to extensive productions. However, it is noteworthy that there are those who disagree with the opinion presented here, which makes the impression as to the pace presented by The eight hated be very subjective. That said, know that the more than three hours of projection can please or annoy the viewer, depending on what the audience clings to.

Perhaps the guilt for the different sensations that the long duration of the production can generate lies in the script. Also written by Tarantino, as usual, the text of The eight hated it is predominantly dialogical, which brings the film very close to a play. Therefore, disappointment for those who have no patience for films that prioritize dialogue more than action is very likely. Fanatics about the work of the filmmaker may find this observation strange, since, for many, the great strength of Quentin's scripts has always been dialogue. However, it seems that the “Tarantino Formula” seems to be worn out and, even if they are very good, the dialogues of this production do not generate the same impact as previous productions, which makes The eight hated it becomes tiring also for the most ardent fans of the filmmaker (as long as they evaluate the film more with reason than with emotion). Was it a sign of the times? The fact of Quentin Tarantino having declared that he intends to make only two more films as a filmmaker may be an indication that his career is, in fact, coming to an end, not because he no longer has the capacity to deliver good films, but perhaps because he no longer has anything again to offer to your audience. The stylistic wear present in his most recent work makes this evident.

Even with a text that, by itself, does not cause much impact, the cast of The eight hated it just breaks, which also ends up being the least to be expected from names like Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Leigh, Tim Roth and other collaborators. Everyone is fine in their roles, except for the limited Channing Tatum (Jody) who, when he appears on the scene, disagrees with the others present on the screen.

Antepenultimate film by one of Hollywood's most beloved filmmakers, The eight hated delivers everything expected from a Quentin Tarantino film. However, there is no denying that, after a career that has lasted more than 20 years, where a formula was created and continues to be repeated successfully, for an hour, the fatigue inherent in the passing of such unforgiving time would give its first signs.

See the technical data and complete cast of Os Oito Odiados

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