The drama surrounding Quentin Tarantino’s most recent project, The Hateful Eight, seems to have been going on for years. Initially announced to be in production since November 2013, Tarantino famously declared that The Hateful Eight would not be made into a film after its script leaked in early 2014. However, after a live script-reading at the United Artists Theater in Los Angeles, Tarantino changed his mind and production on the film was revitalized. Since then, little about The Hateful Eight has been revealed aside from casting, a few stills and the occasional teaser. Finally, the first trailer for the film has been released online and it showcases all the craziness that one would expect to see in a movie written and directed by Tarantino.
As advertised, the film brings together eight eccentric strangers all of which have a mysterious connection to John “The Hangman” Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his deranged quarry, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ruth’s fellow bounty hunters and assassins include former Union Soldier Major Marquis “The Bounty Hunter” Warren (Samuel L. Jackson); General Sanford “The Confederate” Smithers (Bruce Dern); Joe “Cow Puncher” Gage (Michael Madsen); Chris “The Sherriff” Mannix (Walton Goggins); Bob “The Mexican”(Demian Bichir) and the polite Englishman, Oswaldo “The Little Man” Mobray (Tim Roth).
What immediately stands out about the trailer is the humor. Dark comedy has always played a significant role in Tarantino’s films and The Hateful Eight is embracing that by including not only several outlandish characters, but also emphasizing the ridiculousness that is bound to occur by having so many different personalities interact with one another in a single secluded place. Personally, I’m very much looking forward to seeing Dern’s aged-Confederate general interact with Jackson’s former Union soldier bounty hunter. I’m sure the two will have many a polite conversation during their stay at the haberdashery.
Lastly, though probably not as interesting or as noteworthy among most filmgoers, it’s great to see that Tarantino is adamant about selling the film on the fact that it can be viewed in 70mm before finally being released in digital. For those unfamiliar with 70mm, it is a wide-high resolution film stock that is not only twice as wide as a standard film stock (35mm), but it is also of greater height. To put it simply, a movie filmed in 70mm provides an image area that is much larger than the standard film stock.
The Hateful Eight will make its way to select theatres December 25, 2015 before its wide release on January 8, 2016.
