The Hateful Eight

Director: Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantino

Overview

Bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his dangerous prisoner Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) encounter a treacherous blizzard en route to her sentencing in Wyoming. During their stagecoach ride they come across another bounty hunter, Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), and former Confederate rebel leader Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins). Seeking refuge from the weather, the group chart a course for a mountain cabin to wait out the storm. There, they meet four other traveling strangers (Tim Roth, Demi?n Bichir, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern) with whom they must share the stuffy confines until the end of the blizzard. Tensions eventually boil over as each individual has his or her own agenda in this inventive Western, which is set in the aftermath of the American Civil War and written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/2016
UPC:	0013132638478
Original Release:	2015
Rating:	R
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:48:00
Sales rank:	4,547

Special Features

Beyond the Eight: a behind-the-scenes look ; Sam Jackson's guide to glorious 70mm

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Samuel L. Jackson	Maj. Marquis Warren
Kurt Russell	John "The Hangman" Ruth
Jennifer Jason Leigh	Daisy Domergue
Walton Goggins	Chris Mannix
Demián Bichir	Bob
Tim Roth	Oswaldo Mobray
Michael Madsen	Joe Gage
Bruce Dern	Gen. Sanford Smithers
Channing Tatum	Jody
James Parks	O.B. Jackson
Lee Horsley	Actor
Dana Gourrier	Minnie
Belinda Owino	Gemma
Bruce Del Castillo	Homer Van Hootin
Craig Stark	Chester Charles Smithers
Keith Jefferson	Charly
Zoe Bell	Six-Horse Judy
Channing	Actor
Lee Horsely	Actor
Gene Jones	Actor
Ennio Morricone	Composer

Technical Credits

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino	Director,Screenwriter
Richard N. Gladstein	Producer
Stacey Sher	Producer
Shannon McIntosh	Producer
Harvey Weinstein	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Producer,Producer
G. Mac Brown	Executive Producer
Georgia Kacandes	Executive Producer,Producer
Victoria Thomas	Casting
Nerses Gezalyan	Sound Mixer

Editorial Reviews

Sometime immediately after the Civil War, bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) is transporting his most recent capture, the dangerous Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), to Red Rock, WY, so she can be sentenced and he can get paid. Ruth has hired stagecoach driver O.B. (James Parks) to navigate the mountainous terrain to Red Rock during the dead of winter, but there's a blizzard on their heels that's threatening to delay the trip. They soon come across two stranded travelers: The first is bounty hunter and decorated Union solider Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), while the second is former Confederate rebel leader Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), who purports to be the new sheriff of Red Rock. Ruth reluctantly allows the men to hitch a ride to a mountain cabin called Minnie's Haberdashery, where they'll hunker down and wait out the blizzard. Upon arrival at the cabin, they meet the four men whom they'll be forced to share the cramped confines with until the storm passes: Mexican caretaker Bob (Demián Bichir), former Confederate general Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), cowpoke Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and British executioner Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth). Ruth quickly asserts his authority and threatens any man who stands in the way of his transport of Domergue or his collection of the bounty on her head. But distrust begins to mount as the various men seem to have their own agendas, and connections between the strangers turn the cabin into a powder keg ready to explode. Quentin Tarantino's eighth movie is steeped in his own traditions -- it's a viscerally bloody, chronologically fractured whodunit full of betrayal and biting wit. It's profane, protracted, violent, and yet another achievement in a career full of inspired filmmaking. After teasing what he could do with the Western genre in the good but not great Django Unchained, Tarantino's second consecutive Civil War-era picture is a fully realized epic. In addition, Tarantino and the Weinstein Company have certainly done their best to promote The Hateful Eight as a true cinematic event; the movie is one of the first in a half century to be released in select theaters in the format of a 70mm roadshow, complete with an overture and an intermission. It's definitely worth seeing it this way if you can, since the wide-angle 70mm image is an absolute treat to behold. While the majority of the film takes place inside the crowded cabin, the exterior scenes shot by cinematographer Robert Richardson are staggering in their composition. The vast expanses of the outdoors are juxtaposed with the claustrophobia of the haberdashery, evoking the isolation and desperation within each character. This visual splendor is further enhanced by the score from master composer Ennio Morricone. Perhaps the biggest compliment to bestow on The Hateful Eight is that, despite its three-hour runtime, its hold on the audience's attention never wavers. Tarantino's trademark dialogue (never known for its brevity) keeps us riveted inside Minnie's Haberdashery, and the stellar cast manage to bring out the deadpan hilarity in the script. The picture is immersed in the racism of its era, but Tarantino is no stranger to that milieu; he's able to navigate this territory with nuance, however difficult some of the lines may be on the ears. This time period and director feel made for each other, as Tarantino's obsessive attention to detail has never been more apparent. He takes the wild frontier and pairs it with the identity crisis of the post-Civil War years, giving us archetypal characters who start tearing apart at the seams as the tension rises. They're all driven by mistrust, paranoia, and their own self-interest, stuck in a place far outside the law. The slow-burning development of each player in this drawn-out game of wits proves artful and compelling. The Hateful Eight might seem familiar for Tarantino, but every step in his career ultimately feels like a further polishing of his craft.