A loving piece

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2016)

8 dangerous people have to spend nights in the same stagecoach stopover during a blizzard. But can they trust the ones they don't know? Heck, won't violence erupt over the political differences? Bounty hunters Maquis(Jackson, quick) and Ruth(Russell, not trusting) try to keep safe the people they've collected... in particular, the only one alive, the prisoner belonging to the latter, Daisy(Leigh, taunting, set free by her imminent demise – she can do what she wants, all he can do is smack her, and no one but him would dare to, anyway). Is Mannix(Goggins, worth the price of admission by himself... steals the show) actually going to be sheriff? Is the Confederate General(Dern, hilarious as an odd and very old man) volatile? Is Mobray(Roth, delightfully British) really the hang-man? Is Gage(Madsen, secretive) hiding something? And is... Bob(Bichir, short on words, long on laughs)...really the temp?
The cast is incredible, and all show up inspired. I did not expect Tatum to impress me... before I saw he'd be in one of Quentin's. You never know who to keep your eye on, when, about what or from whom the next series of lines will come forth, when someone's double-crossing, etc.
This is a Western murder mystery, using isolation, claustrophobia and paranoia to great effect. The first half is pure build-up, and, admittedly, the reveal doesn't deliver. After the climax, you do feel like more could have been done with what there was. This is not Pulp Fiction. It also isn't as good as the last two Tarantino did. But it certainly is fun, and full of his trademarks... except for chronological jumps, he's more or less retired that since Kill Bill. Witty dialog and speeches, vivid themes, Mexican standoffs, sudden gory violence, it's all here. This compellingly explores the considerable post-Civil War US tensions.
There is a ton of strong language and implied slurs in this. I recommend this to any fan of the genres mixed here. 8/10