Quentin Tarantino's latest is a molasses-paced tale about a bounty hunter transporting a killer to justice. Set several years after the Civil War, The Hateful Eight begins with a stagecoach hurtling through wintry Wyoming—until it's stopped by Maj. Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a former Union officer-turned-bounty hunter who is hauling three dead bodies to Red Rock to collect the reward. Inside the stagecoach is another bounty hunter, John Ruth (Kurt Russell), along with his feisty, feral fugitive, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Joining them later is Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a former Confederate renegade who introduces himself as Red Rock's new sheriff. As a ferocious blizzard approaches, the travelers seek shelter in a rustic cabin known as Minnie's Haberdashery. Already inside are Bob (Damian Bichir), who is temporarily minding Minnie's; Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), a fashionable British hangman; surly Confederate Gen. Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern); and taciturn cowboy Joe Gage (Michael Madsen). Naturally, they don't trust one another. As an African-American, Maj. Warren is also so accustomed to being questioned that he carries a handwritten letter from President Abraham Lincoln. Tarantino's sluggish, rambling, dialogue-driven scenes are punctuated with increasingly gruesome carnage in this revisionist retribution saga set to Ennio Morricone's Oscar-winning score. A self-indulgent, sadistic, highly-stylized Western, this is a strong optional purchase since it will appeal to diehard Tarantino fans. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Sam Jackson's Guide to Glorious 70mm” (8 min.) and “Beyond the Eight” (5 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for an overlong and only fitfully entertaining film.] (S. Granger)
The Hateful Eight
Weinstein, 168 min., R, DVD: $29.98, <span class=SpellE>Blu</span>-ray: $39.99, Mar. 29 Volume 31, Issue 2
The Hateful Eight
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