I've seen it spelled H8ful Eight, or maybe H8ful 8, but I like the spelled-out version. It matches what was on the screen.
I won't urge you to see "The Hateful Eight" unless you're a huge Quentin Tarentino fan, as I am. I've only seen half of his movies He has made eight; it says so right on the screen, at the beginning of "The Hateful Eight," and the people who hate Tarentino might think that's what the "Eight" means in the title. I've loved the four I've seen: Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained and now this.
But I gotta admit, I spent the whole three hours trying to figure out where it was going and why, but the other thing I gotta admit was that I could literally feel the wide grin of enjoyment on my face the whole time. So if you're a QT fan, you're in for a treat.
Every movie is metaphorical, no matter who makes it, and every individual who views a movie views it through his own personal lens. MY take was: this was about Trust vs. Distrust. None of the characters in this movie were trustworthy, but at various times it was necessary for trust to be granted, at the risk of betrayal. And at the risk of violence, which is typical of QT. You can't even trust the door of Minnie's Haberdashery (more about that place later) to stay shut against the storm.
I happen to know that QT is passionate about more than just filming ultraviolent movies. He's passionate about washing away this country's original sin -- slavery -- and the bigotry that exists to this very day. He is a voice. And he means to use that voice. For two more films, anyway. He's already announced that he intends to make a total of ten films, then either retire or find something else to do, like get involved in a television series, or something. We QT fans hope he continues to make films, and hope that his intention is merely that, and not a promise.
As for the movie itself: Two bounty hunters are making their way to Red Rock, Wyoming, just ahead of a snowy blizzard. They'd be John "The Hangman" Ruth, played by Kurt Russell, and Maj. Marquis Warren, portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson's prisoners are all dead. He wants the reward money, is all. Russell's prisoner is Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and she's due to be hanged. Despite panoramic views of the wintry countryside, the movie has a claustrophobic feel, taking place either in the stagecoach occupied by Jackson and Russell and later by Red Rock's future sheriff, Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), and later in a stagecoach stop known as Minnie's Haberdashery, which looked more like a barroom to me..
The pressure and suspense build for nearly two hours before the first deadly gunshots are fired (oh, you'll meet the other four of the hateful eight in due time, plus a raft of other characters). It's grisly, it's funny, it's full of surprising twists. It's Quentin Tarentino.
********
I promised "other movies" in today's heading. Gosh, there have been so many great ones all I feel like doing is ranking the ones I've seen: In order from top to bottom:
Spotlight
Brooklyn
The Martian
The Revenant
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
The Hateful Eight
Carol
The Danish Girl
Grandma
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Not a stinker in the bunch. I may have seen others (my job gives me a whole afternoon free every day, in between two-hour tours of duty), but I forget. As you see, QT's film, greatly as I love it, doesn't even make my top five.
Recent Comments