Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Coggins, Demien Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Parks, Channing Tatum, Dana Gourrier, Zoë Bell, Lee Horsley, Gene Jones, Keith Jefferson, Craig Stark, Belinda Owino.
Not so much a Western, but a murder mystery wrapped in the backdrop of post civil-war America and into which the bleakness of the situation, the desperation of the unfolding events will have many surely comparing Quentin Tarantino’s eighth film, The Hateful Eight in no small measure to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None or any derivation of the name.
In any Quentin Tarantino film audiences expect stellar performances from each member of the cast, it is an unwritten law that comes with the territory of such distinguished and intricate writers and directors, however like Mr. Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, the sheer volume of abundant acting ability on screen is an embarrassment of riches, one that is only enhanced by Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue in arguably her finest performance on screen since Single White Female. The scale of her presentation surely one in which will see her contend with Alicia Wikander for best female actor in the coming awards season.
Critics may take pleasure in taking to task Mr. Tarantino’s film, the level of violence, bloodshed, sadistic intent and brutality that makes its way into each and every frame and picture but for this particular film maker, the levels are precisely set for the times and the situation that the film is based. People have a habit of forgetting just how divisive a civil war can be, how it tear a country apart and arguably the American Civil War is one of the most divisive on record and the fractures in society are still being felt today. It is no wonder then that Daisy Domergue as a character is so appealing to watch, the foul mouthed and offensive demeanour shaped by her surroundings and one that perfectly mirrors Samuel L. Jackson’s Major Marquis Warren and Kurt Russell’s John Ruth; the extremes of society thrown together in search of redemption and damnation in equal measure.
A film which will offend modern ears but when placed into its true period of time, will only be seen as a modern classic which propelled the American 19th Century frontier world back into sharp focus.
Ian D. Hall