Good, gritty, unpredictable drama

Rating: 8/10 (20 January 2016)

Good, gritty, unpredictable drama.
Wyoming in the 1870s. A stagecoach is heading towards the town of Red Rock with two passengers onboard. One is John "Hangman" Ruth (played by Kurt Russell), a celebrated bounty hunter. The other is Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), his prisoner and wanted for murder. Along the way they pick up another bounty hunter, Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L Jackson), and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins). Due to a blizzard they are forced to hole up in a store some way out of town with the occupants of another stagecoach. Suspicions commence and Civil War enmities are reawakened...
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, but not among Tarantino's best. This doesn't quite have the quirky dialogue and swagger that you expect from Tarantino. The plot takes a while to kick into top gear and at three hours long it can do with some editing.
This said, it feels much shorter than three hours. The dialogue, especially the characters' back-stories, keeps the momentum going. Tarantino doesn't reveal the direction of the movie until late in the piece and the twist is quite unforeseen.
Some good action scenes too, with the usual Tarantino trademark of large helpings of blood.
Solid performances all round.
Might take some patience but well worth watching.