Quentin Tarantino’s Most Controversial Film Is Leaving Netflix
Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight is leaving Netflix on January 27.
The film director Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to controversy. Now, one of Tarantino’s boldest and most controversial films will be disappearing from Netflix’s streaming platforms. Netflix will be removing Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight on January 27.
Quentin Tarantino is known for his bold stylistic choices, copious amounts of violence, ensemble casts, and foul language. He burst onto the scene guns blazing with his feature-length debut, 1992’s Reservoir Dogs. He then followed it up with the instant classic, 1994’s Pulp Fiction.
Since then, Tarantino has churned out such classics as Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and most recently 2019’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. The Hateful Eight is his ninth of 10 films.
The Hateful Eight is an American western thriller film released in 2015. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern.
It revolves around eight gun-toting strangers attempting to survive a deadly snowstorm. As they interact with one another, viewers learn that their stories are not so disconnected after all, as twists, turns, and violence ensues.
The Hateful Eight has many similarities to Quentin Tarantino’s other films. It features an ensemble cast headed by longtime collaborator Samuel L. Jackson. It also is as violent as any of his other films.
The film features multiple shootouts, violent scenes, massacres, and even hangings. Still, more than his others, the film faced a considerable amount of controversy and backlash when Tarantino first released it.
Many critics called The Hateful Eight out because it commits to having characters use the n-word. The film’s use of the word by mostly non-black actors caused it to receive significant blowback. Tarantino argues that it was a choice to capture the realities of the period that the characters live in.
This is not the first time Quentin Tarantino has gotten in trouble for his use of the n-word. Film director Spike Lee criticized Tarantino in 1997 for his extensive use of the word in Pulp Fiction. Tarantino came under similar critique as well for the use of the word in Django Unchained, which also portrays very visceral instances of racism and brutality under the institution of slavery.
Other critics called for a boycott of The Hateful Eight for entirely different reasons. After Tarantino attended a protest against police brutality in New York, many police unions engaged in a boycott of the film across the United States.
In general, critics see Quentin Tarantino’s films as promoting gun violence. Although he acknowledges that his films are violent, Tarantino underscores that violence in television and movies is not the main cause of gun violence. Rather, he suggests the need for stricter gun control laws and better mental health services.
Despite critics, Quentin Tarantino is one of the most recognizable filmmakers of the early 1990s. It is undeniable that Quentin Tarantino’s directorial style makes his work almost immediately recognizable, especially for those familiar with the director. Fans of The Hateful Eight should make sure to catch it on Netflix now while it’s still available before it leaves the streaming service on January 27, 2023.
