Hateful Eight, The

In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town's new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren, and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie's, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Bichir), who's taking care of Minnie's while she's visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobra (Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Dern),.and as the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurettes Behind The Eight: A Behind-The-Scenes Look (HD 04:58) and Sam Jackson's Guide To Glorious 70mm (HD 07:49), and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 1080p 2.76:1 Ultra Panavision® 70 picture's aspect ratio is in the widescreen format of epics past. The Ultra Panavision lens had been retired for decades and now resurrected for this 65-mm film. Only a few theatres actually exhibited the film in its original 70-mm print version. The resulting imagery sourced from the transfer is absolutely gorgeous and photographed by renown cinematographer Robert Richardson. While superb throughout, the snow-covered outdoors scenes are beautiful with stunning white highlights. The blizzard segments effectively capture the snowy turmoil. The interior scenes in Minnie's musty Haberdashery are rich and warm in hue with earthy tones of wood. Pretty much the imagery on the interior is hued in browns, grays, and black, with the one distinguishing exception of the red tie worn by Major Warren. Contrast is excellent, with deep blacks and revealing shadow delineation highlighted with creative lighting. Resolution is excellent throughout, especially exhibited in the incredible close-ups of facial features and hair, as well as the heavy threaded clothes. Detail also is excellent during the outside scenes. Fine grain is barely noticeable but certainly contributes to the cinematic quality of the picture. The deep, wide presentation is simply wonderful, reference quality, and beautifully executed. Fans of Quentin Tarantino will love The Hateful Eight. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely executed with constant blizzard howling in the background during the interior scenes and as well when outside. A ferocious storm, with its constant gusts of wind, at times penetrates the entrance to Minnie's Haberdashery and is heard through the boarded, non-insulated frontier structure. Foley sound effects really enhance the realism of the interior going-ons. Dialogue is perfectly clear and intelligible, with excellent spatial integration. And there is certainly a lot of dialogue, which tells the story. Ennio Morricone's cello, viola, and string bass timbre heightened score is absolutely wonderful with a warm sonic character, perfectly recorded with a wide and deep soundstage and an aggressive extension to the surrounds. Overall, surround energy is constant throughout in the form of the gusts of wind and then when the music plays and when gunshots are fired, which are intense. Deep bass occurs during the music and to enhance gunshots. Fidelity is excellent throughout. This is a wonderful soundtrack accompaniment to the stunning imagery. (Gary Reber)