Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Belinda Owino, Channing Tatum
Duration: 168 minutes
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 8/10
Some time after the Civil War, a stagecoach speeds through the wintry Wyoming landscape towards the town of Red Rock. Bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive prisoner Daisy Domergue race towards the town of Red Rock, where Ruth will bring Daisy to justice.
Along the road, they encounter an infamous bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren and a man who claims to be Red Rock’s new sheriff Chris Mannix.
Hoping to find shelter from a blizzard, the group travels to a stagecoach stopover located on a mountain pass at Minnie’s Haberdashery. When they arrive they are greeted by four unfamiliar faces: Bob, who claims to be taking care of the place while Minnie is gone; Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman of Red Rock; Joe Gage, a cow puncher; and confederate general Sanford Smithers.
As the storm overtakes the mountainside, the eight travelers soon learn that they might not make it to Red Rock after all.
Thumbs Up
This movie excels in more levels than one, with the most notable being its photographic composition and tone; clever shifts in focus during those intensely intelligent conversations and dense colours that are sure to hold your attention.
The shifts in focus are not only interesting but necessary given that most of the story takes place in a confined space - where the outlaws and bounty hunters drink coffee, warm themselves by the fire, and talk until it is time for them to start killing each other.
Oops, spoiler alert. The movie, in true Tarantino fashion, builds the suspense so slow it is sure to draw a kick horse of anticipation from anyone. Then there is the clever recycling of existing songs that make you wish they were tailor made for this film.
The cast is full of familiar faces from his previous works. Then there is the unapologetic way that this award winning director tackles modern day race relations.
Thumbs Down
It is almost impossible to say something bad about the film save for some performances. The sheriff played by Goggins looks cartoonish in some parts.
The veteran in Tarantino’s films, Samuel L. Jackson, on more occasion than one seems to overshadow Demian Bichir, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dernand’s performances.
There is also the fact that, though worth the wait, most of the action is held until the 100th minute, before it explodes into the most gruesome violence ever of the Tarantino films.
Verdict
This movie is — how do I put it? — a Quentin Tarantino movie.
