An incredible two hours of cinema, stretched into a mediocre three

Rating: 7/10 (26 January 2016)

***Contains minor spoilers only***
As a white man in my twenties, I love Tarantino films. They are cool and stylish, with over the top characters in ridiculous situations used to tell compelling stories. His newest film, The Hateful Eight, was an incredible two hours of cinema, stretched into a mediocre three. All of the typical Tarantino elements were there, but they weren't used in new interesting ways, and the film was trying so hard to be clever that a lot of the time it forgot to entertain.
The Hateful Eight is Tarantino's 8th film, but only if you use a complex counting system that merges the two Kill Bill films, and ignores or combines various other projects. I'm not convinced that Tarantino can count to eight, seeing as there were nine characters on screen for most of the second act, instead of the eight foul fellows promised. An argument could be made that not everyone in the cohort was cruel, and one of them could have been a softhearted soul, stuck with the malevolent multitude. However you choose to count it, this is definitely not Tarantino's best film, but I can confidently say it's in his top 10. That said, Tarantino's worst film is still better than most.
There were some incredible scenes that I thoroughly enjoyed, but there were also long stretches that ended up being quite dull (not a word I'd normally associate with Tarantino). The characters were great, the premise was promising, and it was shot with style, but somehow the film still managed to disappoint and I spent the final hour just waiting for it to end. I definitely enjoyed it more than girlfriend though, who had to hide behind her coat during any gore, and towards the end gave up trying to watch completely, literally turning away from the screen.
Avoiding any spoilers, Channing Tatum did not suit his role. I am a fan of Mr. Tatum, but he didn't fit well with the rest of the cast, and his chiseled good looks were very out of place in the gritty Tarantino universe. He did a fine job, but his appearance on screen was rather jarring and took me out of the film. The character was far less developed than the other main cast and instead of being an addition to the film , detracted from the story.
Despite that, the acting was generally terrific with Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Jennifer Jason Leigh all giving stellar performances. Without those three the film could easily have come across as silly, but instead the tone was appropriately tense at times, whilst also containing light moments in the midst of dark situations, like a fart at a funeral. Tarantino has always been the master of this (finding humour in horror, not funeral flatulence), whether it's a lighthearted shot to the head in Pulp Fiction or inept racists in Django Unchained, and this film is no exception.
My personal favourite character was Oswaldo Mobray, played by Tim Roth. Despite having a name fitting of an Edwardian rapist, Oswaldo was oddly charming. His voice was a caricature of the English accent, in the typical American style of imitation, which was remarkable when you consider that Roth himself is English. The accent was perfect for this eccentric character though, and even managed to tie in with the plot of the film.
Everything considered I give this film 7/10. I couldn't quite bring myself to rate it higher due to it's needless and excessive run time, but the acting and style of the film were definitely deserving of more than 5. Any fan of Tarantino should (and will anyway) watch this film, and it did tick almost all the boxes, just with some plot and pacing issues.