Blood & Snow

Rating: 7/10 (12 January 2016)

The newest installment in Tarantino's quick-witted and extremely bloody cinematic universe takes place just after the Civil War has ended during an exceptionally deadly blizzard. Bounty hunter 'Hangman' John Ruth (Russell) is transporting the deadly outlaw Daisy Domergue (Jason Leigh) to be hanged for her crimes. When the approaching storm forces them to take cover at Minnie's Haberdashery a slew of colorful characters are introduced that may threaten Ruth's mission.
Tarantino is no stranger to outrageous violence and all three hours and seven minutes of The Hateful Eight are full of it. Gun battles, poisonings and a few good old fashion punches to the nose are had by just about every ill-begotten character holed up at Minnie's. Not a single character can escape Tarantino's twisted view on reality, which makes for an extremely entertaining and fast paced three hour film.
The outstanding cast includes Tarantino regulars such as Jackson, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen along with Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir and Oscar nominee Bruce Dern. Even with all this acting firepower on screen at the same time, the standout is Jason Leigh as the insanely sadistic, yet likable Domergue who is the only woman with a major role throughout the film.
Tarantino created added interest in this film by also filming it in 70mm Panavision film stock and releasing two versions to cinemas. The Hateful Eight became the first movie to be fully filmed in Super Panavision 70 since the 1970's and joined a list which includes classics such as Lawrence of Arabia and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The violence is outrageous yet stylistic, nothing that viewers have not become accustomed to from a filmmaker that has spilled blood across the silver screen since Reservoir Dogs debuted over twenty years ago. Fans have also become accustomed to the faced-paced, expletive laden dialogue spouted by Tarantino's beloved characters. The Hateful Eight is an entertaining film for anyone who is not bothered by the content, but is even more so for anyone who is a fan of film history as Tarantino himself is.