10 Flawed Elements In Otherwise Flawless Films
Your favourite film, it's so nearly perfect. If it wasn't for that one annoying thing...
Sometimes a near-perfect film is not spoiled so much as sullied by just one element that prevents it from being truly flawless. This can be a rogue shot that reveals a little too much, an overreliance on computer generated elements, an experimental directorial choice that doesn't match the film's established tone, or a narrative overreach that shows a little more than we would strictly like to know.
Think of the deconstruction of Norman Bates' psychological conditions before Psycho's iconic fly and skull shots, the pulled punches when Sonny goes looking for revenge in The Godfather, or even the way last year's Saltburn spelled out the plot for us and ruined its many mysteries so close to the film's conclusion.
Sure, these elements don't spoil the films they appear in - not even close - but they do leave indelible blemishes on otherwise exceptional pieces of filmmaking. And if this is the kind of thing you notice, that really gets your goat, is this ever an article for you as here are ten films that manage to embarrass themselves with just one annoying, inconvenient, imperfect, thoroughly flawed element.
10. Tarantino's Narration - The Hateful Eight
The Hateful Eight is the third of Quentin Tarantino’s historical films, set in a remote cabin in 1870s Wyoming where eight apparent strangers take refuge from a snowstorm. A who’s-who of regular cast members, the film brings back Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, James Parks, and Zoë Bell for a battle of wits and cunning, and manages to deliver a pitch-perfect Tarantino flick all from within a single location.
The attention to detail was so meticulous that the props department actually procured an original 1870s acoustic from revered guitar makers C. F. Martin & Co. (“Martin”, to you and I), which Kurt Russell accidentally smashed during filming! And yet, despite all the pain and care that went into making the film historically accurate and sharp as a tack, there is one uncharacteristic flaw.
Sure, it's his film and he can do what he wants, but Tarantino's mid-film narration only highlights the artifice of the movie, doing nothing for the story and just serving as a recap, direct narration of things currently occurring and details of things that are implied anyway. Alongside the director-included intermission, it is an homage to the old films that he loves, but one the movie could have done without.