The Hateful Eight

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2016)

When I heard about this film, the eighth from director and BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated writer Quentin Tarantino, and having watched his first proper western with his previous film, Django Unchained, I was most excited to see another offering of the same genre. Basically a few years after the Civil War, three dead bounties are being transported to Red Rock, Wyoming by bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), he hitches a ride on a stagecoach that is travelling to avoid a snow blizzard. The stagecoach is being driven by a man named O.B Jackson (James Parks), also travelling to Red Rock, inside is bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell), who always brings his criminals alive to watch them hang, handcuffed to him is fugitive Daisy Domergue (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ruth is suspicious of anyone trying to steal his bounty, he and Warren bond over a personal letter from President Abraham Lincoln, on the journey they also pick up former Lost-Causer militiaman Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), who claims to be the new sheriff of Red Rock. The group is forced to stop during the snow storm at Minnie's Haberdashery, a stagecoach lodge, they are greeted by Mexican stranger Bob (Demián Bichir), who claims owner Minnie has left him in charge so she can visit her mother. The other lodgers inside are British Red Rock hangman Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), quiet cowboy Joe Gage (Michael Madsen) who claims to be heading to see his mother, and former Confederate General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), a suspicious Ruth disarms all but Warren. The group settle to eat, hearing of a Warren's Lincoln letter Marrix speculates that it is a forgery, Warren admits it is and helps him get things, including rides, Ruth is outraged. Warren then approaches Smithers, placing a gun next to him and provoking him into reaching for it telling him that he sexually humiliated and killed Smithers' son, Warren shoots and kills him first, in lawful self-defence, as revenge for Smithers executing black soldiers at the Battle of Baton Rouge. Everyone is distracted by the confrontation, Domergue is the only person to witness someone poisoning the brewing coffee, Ruth and O.B. drink it, then moments later vomit blood and collapse, dying Ruth attacks Domergue, but she grabs his gun and kills him. Warren disarms Domergue and leaves her cuffed to Ruth's corpse, he and Mannix, who Warren trusts because he avoided drinking the poisoned coffee, hold all the men at gunpoint, they want to deduce who did the poisoning and who is not who they say they are. Bob, who had an alibi for the poisoning, is deduced as an impostor who killed the original lodge owners and he is executed. Warren threatens to kill Domergue to take her bounty, but Gage reveals himself as the poisoner, then all of the sudden a man hiding in the cellar shoots Warren in the groin, and Mobray draws a concealed gun and shoots Mannix, he returns fire and wounds Mannix, and Gage is forced against the wall. A flashback from earlier in the day reveals that Bob, Mobray, Gage and a fourth man, Jody (Channing Tatum), arrived at Minnie's Haberdashery, killed everyone apart from Smithers, Jody reveals himself to be Domergue's brother, he strikes a deal with Smithers to spare him, the bandits dispose of the bodies, hide the evidence, and hide guns around the lodge, Smithers agrees to keep quiet while Jody hides in the cellar. Seriously wounded Warren and Mannix hold Domergue, Gage and dying Mobray at gunpoint, Jody is flushed out of the cellar when they threaten to kill Domergue, Warren kills him. Domergue angered claims more of her brother's men are waiting in Red Rock, they will kill Mannix and ransack the town, she tries to make a deal with Mannix that if he kills Warren and lets her escape, the gang will spare him and let him claim the bounties of the deceased. Domergue and Mobray taunt Warren, he shoots Domergue in the foot and Mobray in the leg, Mobray dies from his wounds, Gage draws a hidden revolver, but is shot dead by Warren and Mannix, Warren is out of bullets when he tries to shoot Domergue. Mannix calls Domergue's bluff, rejecting her alliance, he faints from blood loss, Domergue hacks off Ruth's handcuffed arm to free herself, she reaches for Mannix's gun, but he regains consciousness and wounds her, Warren and Mannix work together to tie a noose round Domergue's neck and pull to hang her from the rafters, in Ruth's honour, as the two men lie dying Mannix reads aloud Warren's forged Lincoln letter. Also starring Dana Gourrier as Minnie Mink, Zoë Bell as Six-Horse Judy, Lee Horsley as Ed, Gene Jones as Sweet Dave, Keith Jefferson as Charly and Craig Stark as Chester Charles Smithers, with Quentin Tarantino narrating. The performances are all spot on, Jackson and Russell as the bounty hunters, Roth and Madsen among the bandits, Tatum as the nasty surprise guest, and Leigh is splendid as the mad wanted female criminal. I can see the comparison to Reservoir Dogs, with eight strangers brought together, bounty hunters, outlaws, lawmen and soldiers, it is not as action packed as Django was, it is very dialogue heavy, and a little slow-burning at times, but it has plenty of hard-hitting moments, especially the high level of brutality and blood spill, it has fantastic music from original Spaghetti Western composer Ennio Morricone, and it does keep you watching, a satisfying violent western mystery. It won the Oscar for Best Music, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography, it won the BAFTA for Best Original Music, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score. Very good!