Tarantino's best film in years

Rating: 8/10 (6 March 2016)

I'm not a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino, although I appreciate his best work. The last film of his I felt achieved greatness was "Jackie Brown" (still his finest film), and the last ones I liked were the two "Kill Bill" films. I'm pleased to admit I found "The Hateful Eight" his best in years. It's not perfect (too long, and hampered by some unnecessary campiness where it should have stayed serious), but it's a powerful character-driven, small 'chamber film' (ironic, as it was filmed in 70mm Ultra Panavision, i.e., Cinerama) relating a western tale with eight certifiably hateful characters interacting with each other in verbal power plays like wicked game pieces.
Most of its drama takes place in a stagecoach lodge called 'Minnie's Haberdashery' where they have taken refuge from a powerful blizzard (these indoor scenes having been filmed on a soundstage in Los Angeles). The sequences not shot in the cabin were actually filmed on location in the beautiful Wilson Mesa area of the Colorado Rockies in extreme conditions of freezing wind and snow, and the stunning visuals, especially in 70mm, are gorgeous to behold. The film has a great cast: some Tarantino regulars, some new, with Kurt Russell as a bounty hunter carrying a handcuffed fugitive (Jennifer Jason Leigh at her filthiest) on the way to her hanging, but each of the eight has his or her own secrets and hidden agenda. Though violent at times beyond the pale (not a surprise for Tarantino!), it is a compelling drama throughout.
Ultimately, it might have more style than substance (it seems rather shallow upon analysis), but its style and dramatic structure -- at times almost Shakespearean -- makes this a worthy cinematic experience, even when not seen in 70mm.