The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino.
A stagecoach thunders across the bleak snowy Wyoming wilderness. On board is bounty hunter John 'The Hangman' Ruth transporting his prisoner Daisy Domague to justice in the town of Red Rock. Sat upon a heap of corpses in the middle of the road is Major Marquis Warren. A rival bounty hunter also looking to get his catch to town after the elements claim his horse. Striking up an arrangement the two professionals share the carriage onward awhile before happening across a third traveller also struggling on foot in the harsh environment. Chris Mannix claims to be the new sherrif of Red Rock and manages to secure a ride aboard John Ruths stagecoach.
Unfortunately a ferocious blizzard forces the coach to stop at Minnies Haberdashery a remote trade post, where the men have no choice but to hole up til the storm passes.
Inside the trade post, we meet an odd assortment of travellers all with their own stories and agendas.
Tarantinos 9th feature is as ever a long drawn out indulgent affair, criticisms already levelled at this and at least his last two films. Its difficult to argue that point other than to say i enjoyed all three immensely and was never bored therefore i don't see how they can be overlong.
The Hateful Hate stars Kurt Russell doing his best John Wayne as John Ruth 'The Hangman' and Tarantino regular Samuel L.Jackson as Marquis Warren. Both are excellent in there own way even if Jackson is just playing his usual shouty self. Also in Minnies Haberdashery we get a brilliant turn from Tim Roth as the most English Englishman on earth, Michael Madsen as...well Michael Madsen. Bruce Dern as an old army general. Oh and credit where it really is due to a spectacular turn from Jennifer Jason Leigh as the prisoner Daisy Domague, foulmouthed, evil and hilarious in equal measure. I love snowy films, be it The Thing, The Shining or Corbuccis brilliant The Great Silence. And this is no different, basically a group of strangers trapped in a snowbound cabin in the middle of nowhere. Morricones marvellous score, more reminiscent of classic horrors like The Shining or Psycho combined with the setting works brilliantly to evoke a menacing mood and the opening scenes of the stagecoach passing an old gothic cross in the middle of the white wasteland do ever more to convince me that this isn't a western but a horror flick in disguise. I loved it but somehow i suspect I'll be the only one here to think that highly of it.
P.s.Jackie Brown is far too long.
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