Tarantino does what Tarantino does.

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2015)

THE HATEFUL EIGHT: Quentin Tarantino has an imagination like no other. He wrote and directed. His characters are unique and well drawn. His dialogue is profane, earthy and real. His stories are, well, let's just say, 'different.' His direction is pretty straight forward and he lets his actors do what they were hired to do. I can't recall a single false note from anyone. MC may have stated it best when she said, "After seeing a Tarantino movie, ya just wanna take a shower." The less you know about the plot, the better because it unfolds rather like an Agatha Christie novel, and early on it had an 'Unforgiven' vibe. It's pretty slow-going for the first hour, but as one character says, "be very patient". That may be the operative word here. There is a lot of ground work to be laid, but patience does have its rewards with the last half filled with plot twists and Tarantino (I don't want to give anything away) 'business'. Everyone turns in a very strong performance, but Samuel L. Jackson is a standout followed closely by an unrecognizable Jennifer Jason Lee and a rousing Kurt Russell. An interesting side note: It has an old style opening with upfront credits and the closing credits are on cards instead of the usual crawl. There will probably be Oscar nominations for screenplay and direction and a good possibility for Jackson. Score: 8.5. GO. Best on an empty stomach.