Most Tarantino Fans will probably like it.

Rating: 8/10 (27 March 2016)

Although tipped as an early runner for a heap of Oscars, in the end, the only nominations it received were for best supporting Actress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and for cinematography and music. About par for a Tarantino film. It won for music. (Ennio Morricone)
I have always been a keen fan of Quentin Tarantino, who wrote and directed this epic western, but I don't think it is one of his best. Having said that, I am not a particular fan of the western genre, as in my younger days, it was done to death, both by Hollywood and by the television networks.
But of course, a Tarantino western is no ordinary western. Darkly comic and violent as it is, in some ways, it is more like an Agatha Christie murder mystery – and is often just as silly and superficial. One man is poisoned, another is shot in the head, another has his head blown clean off and another is hanged, and so on. Almost to the end, we don't know who the baddies and goodies are – in true Christie fashion.
The film is a massive 3 hours in duration. It is set just after the end of the civil war and nearly all the action takes place inside a single room of a stagecoach stop in the middle of the Wyoming prairie. Outside, a violent snowstorm prevents anyone from leaving. It could have very easily been a stage play and who knows? One day, it might be just that.
The ensemble cast, including Samuel L Jackson and Kurt Russell, are outstanding, although I am not convinced that Jason Leigh should have been nominated for best supporting actress for playing the part of a deranged, violent criminal gang leader. But the superior acting by one and all and the regular insertion of grizzly violence keeps the simple plot moving along quite well.
I suspect that Tarantino had planned to make a western masterpiece, but in my opinion, he didn't quite make it. The dialogue is good, without being outstanding. For me, the film was missing something that would take it right out of the ordinary. It didn't quite make the sum of its excellent parts.
I can't fault the cinematography, the acting, the brilliant direction, and the great music score and for this reason, I rate this quite highly. The Hateful Eight is not for everyone, but most Tarantino fans will probably enjoy it, unless they are heavy smokers.