The Ensemble Excellence of 'The Hateful Eight'

 

The Hateful Eight is not without its fair share of problems. Certain segments drag on a bit too long, one performance which I won't discuss too much verges on being distractingly mediocre, and occasionally the tonal whiplash is a bit iffy. Overall, however, I have to say, I loved the film. For a 170+ hour film it flows along so smoothly, the whole setup of the mystery is just impeccably done, the dynamic between the titular eight within that confined environment of Minnie's Haberdashary and the surging blizzard outside is beautifully directed, and of course, the ensemble is great. In fact, I would say it's the greatest ensemble Tarantino's ever had (though the greatest individual performance, in my opinion, is still Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds).

Anyway, instead of just doing a review for the film I thought I'd go into some detail about each member of the cast (all of whom I'd put in supporting).

If I had to put someone as lead for The Hateful Eight it would definitely be Samuel L Jackson. The film is predominately filmed from his perspective (though not enough to consider him an undeniable lead), and seeing the film as a sort of Agatha Christie-esque tale, Jackson's Marquis Warren is the equivalent of her Poirot or Miss Marple. Anyway, in a career peppered with outstanding performances and a partnership with Tarantion that has bore nothing but the highest calibre of acting, this might just be Jackson's finest performance of all-time. There's firstly everything you've come to expect of the badass motherfucker; Tarantino's dialogue is delivered as smoothly and trippingly on the tongue as ever, and as ever there's that domineering control of the silver screen he has with his presence alone. What's fascinating is that this time round, unlike say Jules in Pulp Fiction, Jackson does not hold back in revealing the more unsavoury aspects of this sort of character. There's a much darker edge to his performance here than usual, particular with one monologue near the end of the first half which might be the most hauntingly powerful and disturbing of his career, and without spoiling too much does a great deal in facilitating a most fascinating arc for his character, rivalled possibly only by one other co-star.

That co-star being Walton Goggin's turn as (Sherrif?) Chris Mannix. There's just something inherently funny about the loud, idiotic, obnoxious yet strangely endearing son of an infamous Southern renegade as portrayed by Goggins, seemingly stepped out of some cheesy old 60's Western television show. He plays the character with just the right amount of unwitting humour but also an earnestness that shines through even when he's making the most outrageous, shockingly racist comments imaginably that you can't help but be more bemused than hateful of it. The progression of his character from a completely inept joke of a sheriff to someone who more than upholds the title with his sense of honour, however misplaced his way of presenting it may be, works perfectly in correlation with Jackson's arc, and the scenes shared between the two are some of the finest camaraderie ever captured on camera.

Two characters who have little less of an arc, more of an unravelling of their true characters, are Kurt Russell's John Ruth and Jennifer Jason Leigh's Daisy Domergue. Russell, playing here kind of a combination of his character from The Thing and an on-form John Wayne, is the closest we get to any sort of true 'hero' within the film. Russell is just fantastic in how he makes the dedication to seeing his bounty hang both darkly amusing and understandably emotive, and his consistent portrayal of his character's strict moral code makes him a convincingly badass presence. I wouldn't necessarily call Russell's performance here the most complex performance ever but that's not the point really. He infuses the screen with such drive, is such a brilliant sparring counterpoint to the likes of Jackson and Goggins, and with such genuine passion to put Daisy on the hangman's stand, which leads me to...

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Leigh gives perhaps the most terrifying performance I've seen all year. The makeup department need a great deal of credit too, but Leigh is simply brilliant in how she first works on the character creation of a brainless hillbilly come under the governance of men, to revealing her true colours as a literal walking embodiment of evil, is captivating. Even when the camera's not focused on her she just makes the most of every disgusting, demented little reaction she makes to the increasingly dire stakes moving in her favour. Each bile-inducing, hateful phrase is spat out with such vigour, and yet she also plays the different sides to Daisy besides her disgusting nature so well as she's oddly charismatic and convincing in her own way. She moves seamlessly between the comical and dramatic tones of the film and I sure do hope she gets an Oscar nom come today.

Some have expressed reservation with Tim Roth's supposed impersonation of Christoph Waltz in Django in this film. Well while I agree there are a few Waltz-ian elements to it, I wasn't distracted at all. Roth's been in a bit of rut as of late with good film roles so it was wonderful to see him here doing what he does best, playing a fast-talking, slimy little man who's somewhat endearing in his uncouth eccentricities. It is a one-note performance but what a wonderful one-note it is. His little speech on 'frontier justice' and those wonderfully ratty, cackling acts of 'polite' interaction with other characters were particular highlights.

Technically the most limited of the cast in terms of screentime and focus, Bruce Dern's General Sanders nevertheless was one of the highlights of the film for me. There's a neat little twist at the end regarding his character that kind of makes the whole performative aspect of his performance even more interesting the more I think about it, but I'll leave it at that. Anyway, even just sitting their in his armchair and never moving, Sanders is just such an intriguingly complex figure. You get the sense of the man's evil past and also his grief just by the subtlest facial gestures and reactions, which come into play particularly effectively during Jackson's big speech, making his final scenes surprisingly effective for such a despicable character.

 

Also limited but this time round in terms of the 'showiness' of their roles are Michael Madsen's Joe Gage and Demain Bichir's Bob, but they both also acquiy themselves admirably. Madsen's performance is particularly interesting as he goes for such a low-key approach in contrast to the rest of the cast and makes his characterisation as the grizzled cowboy particularly straightforward, but even so there's this inherent sort of enigmatic quality that Madsen brought to his roles in Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs that he also retains here.

As for Bichir I thought he was a hoot throughout as this throaty, completely ridiculous buffoon of a Mexican bartender a kind of subversion of the moustache twirling villain, in that he's so obviously guilty of something and yet also so incompetent at it, that makes the later scenes of his character even more effective.

All in all the cast was amazing, and as for Tarantino's direction...lets just say it deserves an article in itself. In the meantime, enjoy the soundtrack.