Nothing sends the movie world buzzing quite like the impending release of a Quentin Tarantino film. The director has built an empire out of slick genre movies that defy traditions and redefine cool. A new Tarantino is less a film than an event, sending audiences to theaters in droves and forcing the rest of the industry to play catch up in the wake of his singular vision, sending shockwaves of awe throughout the cinematic community.
Tarantino’s latest bomb lobbed at the conventions of moviemaking isn’t set for release for another two months, but already the rumblings have begun. The Hateful Eight, opening in limited released on Christmas Day before its wide release on January 8, looks ready to explode the western genre wide open if the latest trailer is any indication.
The Hateful Eight finds Kurt Russell as John Ruth, a bounty hunter transporting his quarry, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to be hanged for murder. Along the way, he gets caught in a blizzard, stranding the two, along with six other strangers, until such time as the roads can be traveled. During their layover, the eight strangers become embroiled in paranoia, as Ruth aims to protect his quarry and the $10,000 bounty her capture claims.
This is, so far, the best look we’ve gotten at The Hateful Eight, and everything about it makes it look to be yet another homerun for Tarantino. The director has long proven himself to be a master at exploring how characters interact with each other, with his slick dialogue and sly direction, and the prospect of shoving eight characters in a room and letting Tarantino run wild gives us goosebumps.
If you haven’t seen the latest trailer, you can check it out below. In the meantime, I’m going to go find a dark hole to hide myself in and hibernate until Christmas. With the prospect of another Tarantino movie just on the horizon, the holidays can’t get here soon enough.
