The film succeeds on account of its sly, sneaky script, the unanticipated characters who show up and get blown to bits, and because its got a terrific ensemble of actors who genuinely appear to be enjoying themselves. Jennifer Jason Leigh deserves special mention for a crackling performance thats full of surprises.The Hateful Eight is never as inventive as some of Tarantinos previous films. Its also his slowest. Its no epic in the end, but its still pretty good fun. Im going with three out of five.

The Hateful Eight is an unflinching, brave film that never looks away. It doesnt look away from the racism dripping from its characters, it doesnt look away when they are bristling with alarming levels of misogyny, it doesnt look away when theyre lying right through their grotesque teeth. There are times when I almost wished it would look away, when the splatters got too messy and the violence bordered on sadism, but this is a film meant to confront instead of comfort. This is a film aimed at making us look away because it wont.Perhaps its time we faced the hate.

The narrative that plays out in six chapters is verbose and slow in the first hour. But once the dialogue ebbs, bullets fly thick and fast. There’s enough bloodshed here to fill a small rivulet. Warning: Tarantino’s cinema is not for the faint-hearted. However, the maker of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, in his by now famous signature style, once again gives you substance to lose sleep over.

As the plot drags on, sometimes propelled by a Tarantino monologue and the smart use of rewinds and flash forwards, you realise that this elaborate set-up towards an ending isnt all that convincing. In fact one cant help but wonder if the ordinary folk of the haberdashery had hung around a bit longer to give this film a change of mood, and a dash of plausibility.

The film, like many of his other works, is broken into six chapters, and while each is tailored entertainingly enough, the comic book violence leaves you disappointed. But you don’t root for any one of them. Their pain doesn’t make you wince. The ones who die – and some do – hardly deserve an obituary. The trouble really is that when everyone is held in contempt, retribution seems to lose its purpose. Tarantino has failed to offer us something novelistic or relatable here, yes, but his one little success is arguably great enough for you to spend your money. Jennifer Jason Leigh, with her perpetually bloodied face and her sudden craving to carelessly strum a guitar, has delivered a performance that leaves you disarmed.