Murder on the Stagecoach Line

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2016)

For a die hard Western devotee it is difficult to find fault with any movie keeping the genre alive, if even on the periphery . . . and this movie is unusual, Tarantino virtually guarantees an off-center approach, not bad per se for a Western, but certainly different. In some ways this presentation had the feel of "Murder on the Orient Express", "Stagecoach", and a (frigid) "Once Upon a Time in the West".
If you like lengthy dialogue, this movie will thrill you, e.g., it exceeds 3 hours, with 95% of it set in a one-room stagecoach layover. I haven't heard so many BS stories since high school pool hall trips in the 1960s. There are glimpses of the beautiful Colorado-meant-to-be-Wyoming snow-covered mountains, but only to ensure that the viewer knows the location is completely isolated. Albeit worse than ruggedly nasty, the warm interior with glowing fireplace and meandering conversations made me sleepy, and I literally dozed off for who knows how long . . . embarrassing for a movie fan to even admit.
So? What's wrong with this Western touting some comedy with its gore? It is virtually impossible for the viewer to transport himself/herself into the movie, something Westerns have always been able to do. Whether as the hero, villain, or innocent subject, Westerns tug at us, beckon us. Not this time. With the possible exception of wanting to wear Samuel L. Jackson's hat, the characters are repulsive, even the handsome Kurt Russell.
So? After all the talking, and the posturing, and the mystery, was it worth the wait? Not really, a pure Tarantino finish. So just enjoy the "ride" . . . uh, saunter, and wait for the remastered version of Roy Orbison's beautiful 1967 song, "There Won't Be Many Coming Home" to play as the closing credits roll.