A different kind of Tarantino. Thoughtful and in-depth character portrayals.

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2016)

I've never been a fan of his use of gratuitous violence- but I will always go to see Tarantino's films because they are unique. There were some elements of the 'western' genre that I would have enjoyed seeing more of - but what it tried to achieve, I think it did brilliantly well. This is not a film for anyone who has a short attention span or needs instant gratification. It requires patience to go along for the ride and to wait for the plot to unfold. What I was most impressed by were the in-depth, rich characterisations and there were some superb performances. I did not find that the run-time of the film was too long, nor was I offended by the portrayal of any of the characters or the language they used. Although (love it or hate it) Tarantino's humour frequently refers (both subtly and not so subtly) to the present day, it needs to be taken in the context of when and where the film is set. As for the violence - expect the 'usual', but if you don't let it detract from the rest of the film, you will enjoy it as a very good piece of cinema and the quality of both the cast and the writer/director shines through. There are also some real 'laugh out loud' moments which I wasn't expecting!