Movie Review: The Hateful Eight (R21)

Westerns aren't usually my thing, but Quentin Tarantino may have converted me.

His tale of eight characters riding out a snowstorm in a Wyoming stagecoach stopover drips with vengeance, bigotry and drama - elements very familiar to any Tarantino fan.

Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell, as bounty hunters Major Marquis Warren and John Ruth, absolutely steal the show as two battle-hardened men with questionable values. And Jennifer Jason Leigh's Daisy Domergue is dynamic in every frame, even when she's hunched over and spitting out black blood and loose teeth.

At three hours long, this is a lesson in patience. Waiting for the first half of the film to set up the second explosively entertaining half can be tedious, but hang in there.

The movie needs time to simmer before its key ingredients - its characters - can fully shine.

Rating: 4/5