‘The Hateful Eight’ Review

Quentin Tarantino takes his well-worn tropes — despicable characters, ultra-violence, greed, treachery, deceit — and mixes up a heady brew that ends up being greater than the sum of its parts. The at-first slow-moving, talkative Western — revolving around a pair of bounty hunters (Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson) and a prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) on her way to be hanged in the town of Red Rock, Wyoming, some time after the end of the Civil War — unfolds as a Greek tragedy worthy of Shakespeare by way of Kurosawa and Peckinpah. The acting is sharp (Jennifer Jason Leigh was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), the cinematography gorgeous, and the score glorious (Ennio Morricone won an Oscar for that). It’s all over the top, but that’s the way Tarantino works best — and we like it. Shot entirely on 70mm (using Ultra Panavision 70, the very rare and exceptional format that is the widest 70mm theatrical release in 20 years. Panavision’s unique anamorphic camera lenses capture images on film in an incredible aspect ratio of 2.76:1; almost all films seen today are shot in ratios of either 1.85:1 or 2.39:1. Ultra Panavision 70 provides an amazingly wide and more detailed image). Vitals: Director: Quentin Tarantino. Stars: Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern. 2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 168 min., Western, Box office gross: $53.400 million, The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay. Extras: Two featurettes: “Beyond the Eight: A Behind-the-Scenes Look” and “Sam Jackson’s Guide to Glorious 70mm.”