By Ryan Deal ’16

“You got room for one more?” This ambiguous question opens Quentin Tarantino’s eighth film, “The Hateful Eight,” a suspenseful, violent and utterly captivating tale of trust, deception and prejudice amidst post-Civil War society. The line, coolly delivered by bounty hunter and former Union Major Marquis Warren, played by the always terrific Samuel L. Jackson, acts to break the fourth-wall, for 2012’s good-not-great “Django Unchained” left some Tarantino fans wondering if the director truly had room for “one more” great film. Tarantino answers doubters with a film that belongs on the same echelon as classics “Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Inglourious Bastards”.

Tarantino recently has floated the idea that his movie-making days may soon reach an end. He has been quoted as saying that he may plan on only making 10 movies in his career, as to not overstay his welcome. If this is the case, as unfortunate as it may be for cinema buffs, it is still refreshing to see that he puts just as much heart and effort into his films in 2015 as he did in 1992.

As the film begins, viewers are immediately enthralled by the beautiful 70mm shots of the snowy frontier. The use of a 70mm Panavision camera was a bold decision, considering the technology has not been used in a major film since 1966, but it pays off in a big way. As a blizzard rages, Warren waves down a Red Rock-bound stagecoach. The stagecoach contains bounty hunter John Ruth (played by an out-of-place yet game Kurt Russell), otherwise known as “The Hangman” due to his fondness for bringing in victims alive so that their necks snap. He is chained to captured killer Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh, who may have an Oscar nomination coming her way). Suspicion heightens when they pick up Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins, who does the best job of anyone in the film), a racist son-of-a-rebel who also happens to be the new Sheriff of Red Rock.

As the blizzard intensifies so does the paranoia of Ruth, who desperately wants the bounty that Domergue yields, and the racial tensions between Warren and Mannix. These traits reach a memorable boiling point as they settle down at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a tiny inn in which they must stay until the blizzard passes through.

At Minnie’s, the audience is introduced to more electric characters. There is Bob (Demian Bichir), a mexican Minnie instructed to watch over the haberdashery, Oswaldo Mobray (an energetic Tim Roth) who is a hangman, quiet cowboy Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and former Confederate General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern). It is here in which the majority of the film takes place. At times, this gloriously claustrophobic location is reminiscent of the warehouse in “Reservoir Dogs,” the first film that gained Tarantino exposure.

“The Hateful Eight” is a non-stop thrill ride. As one navigates through each character’s past and story, there is equal reason to believe that any one of the men could be the liar. Tarantino, with a razor-sharp screenplay and intense scenes (in particular one shocking sequence involving Warren and Smithers), creates a true whodunit that has not been seen in quite some time. Each actor thrives in their respective role, and it makes for a passionate film.

In an era in which original ideas seem to be pushed aside in favor of big-budget remakes and prequels, it is refreshing to see that there are still creative films being made which truly break the mold. Although it may get underrepresented at the Oscars due to a crowded field, there is no doubt that with its blend of complex characters, tremendous acting performances and intense scenes, “The Hateful Eight” will go down as one of the year’s most memorable films.