Quentin Tarantino is returning to the Western genre after it served him so well in Django Unchained with The Hateful Eight , which takes place in Wyoming a few years after the Civil War. But just who are The Hateful Eight ? The movie tells the story of a bounty hunter leading his prisoner on the way to her hanging, when he falls in with two other travelers. The four of them then get caught in a terrible blizzard, and are forced to seek shelter in a stagecoach passover, in which four other men are also currently waiting out the storm. Thus, you end up with eight people confined to a small area, but none of them are exactly saints. All eight of the individuals are bad news, and the rising tensions among them are what drive the story.
As usual, Tarantino has brought back a number of his favorite actors for the project while also sprinkling in some new faces. Frequent collaborator Samuel L. Jackson is there, of course, as are Tim Roth and Michael Madsen. Also along for the ride are newcomers like Jennifer Jason Leigh as the lone female member of the core group, and Channing Tatum, who is surprisingly not among the eight leads. So who are these eight characters who make up the bulk of the film?
Daisy "The Prisoner" Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh)
Domergue is perhaps the most essential character in the film, as she is the prisoner on her way to her own hanging. She is a fugitive who's wanted dead or alive for murder, and is considered extremely dangerous.
John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell)
A bounty hunter who has captured Domergue, he has a reputation for hanging those he captures (hence the nickname), and he's currently on his way to Red Rock with Domergue (whom he keeps chained to his wrist) so she can face the noose.
Major Marquis "The Bounty Hunter" Warren (Samuel L. Jackson)
A former Union officer, Warren now resides in the mountains of Wyoming and has carved out an infamous reputation for himself as a deadly bounty hunter.
General Sanford "The Confederate" Smithers (Bruce Dern)
An elderly former Confederate general. Call me crazy, but I'm guessing he's not going to be a huge fan of Warren.
Joe "The Cow Puncher" Gage (Michael Madsen)
A legitimate, old-fashioned cowboy. He even wears a bandana around his neck and everything.
Oswaldo "The Little Man" Mobray (Tim Roth)
A well-appointed Brit, Mobray is the hangman of Red Rock... or at least that's who he claims to be.
Chris "The Sheriff" Mannix (Walton Goggins)
A southern transplant who claims to be the new sheriff of Red Rock. Ironic how the sheriff and hangman of the town where Domergue is set to be hanged just happen to run into her. Methinks someone isn't telling the truth.
Bob "The Mexican" (Demián Bichir)
He's currently running the stagecoach passover where everyone is holed up, called Minnie's Haberdashery, while Minnie is away. Whether or not he came into that job through legitimate means is a serious question.
So that's them, the eight hateful characters in The Hateful Eight. They almost look like an extra dishonest and rough riding version of the cast from the board game Clue, but somehow I don't think this showdown is going to come down to something as simple as "the butler did it".
Images: The Weinstein Company; giphy
