For his eighth film, “The Hateful Eight,” Quentin Tarantino delves into the ruthless world of the Wild West to tell the story of eight hardened thieves, fighters, and bounty hunters trapped in a cabin when a blizzard strikes.

The film, despite feeling occasionally slow, still has the classic Tarantino features: lots of violence, philosophical dialogue, and Samuel L. Jackson.

The first half of the movie introduces the characters both to the audience and to each other.  It’s funny but not quick paced – there’s  more talking than anything else – but  it’s worth hearing what everyone has to say.

In the second half, secrets emerge, and the characters’ unclear intentions leave the audience guessing until the last moment of the bloody showdown.  The majority of the movie takes place in the cabin, and by the time the credits role the characters have been cooped up together for less than a day, but there’s always an underlying tension that something bad is about to happen.

Yet, despite the ruthlessness of the characters, it seems impossible to really hate any of them.  The cast is spot-on; each honest performance carries the slower moments of the film.  The cinematography and score carefully portray the tension, suspense, and comedy that is present throughout the movie.

I would strongly recommend seeing “The Hateful Eight” in its original 70mm widescreen format.  The Arclight Theater in La Jolla screens the film the way Tarantino wanted it to be seen – with  no previews, a two-minute overture, and a 10-minute intermission.  The free booklet with facts about the characters and complementary posters doesn’t hurt either.