Quentin Tarantino has been considered one of the most intriguing film directors of recent times. Some movie aficionados may claim that he is to this generation what Cecil B. DeMille & Stanley Kubrick were to previous generations. Tarantino’s movies have become a significant part of American culture, and his latest project, The Hateful Eight, is in all likelihood no exception.

A brief plot summary: eight strangers get to know each other while trapped in a stagecoach lodge in post-Civil War Wyoming, waiting for a blizzard to pass. Some of the strangers have alliances with each other, while most are hiding some part of their identity. For those trying to reach the town of Red Rock, their journey is not as easy as it appears, and not just because of the blizzard.

The Hateful Eight employs many familiar “Tarantino-isms,” including the use of chapters to divide up the plot. The director also sticks with many actors from previous films, including Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, and Michael Madsen. Walton Goggins & Bruce Dern, who both made small appearances in Tarantino’s 2012 film Django Unchained, are given more prominent roles here, where both excel.

Recent Tarantino films have also used one big-name actor in a prominent role, who did not previously feature in a prior movie. Inglourious Basterds, for example, featured Brad Pitt, while Leonardo DiCaprio starred in Django Unchained. This new movie features Kurt Russell, who was previously in Tarantino’s Death Proof. Given that the film is indeed a western, the veteran actor is put in his element. His most successful roles have come in westerns, and this may be added to that list in the long term. Channing Tatum also does quite well in a limited appearance.

Overall, this film confirms Tarantino’s status as a great film director who hasn’t lost his touch. There was some concern about whether it would be made following a leaked script, but thankfully for movie fans, the idea wasn’t scrapped. The Hateful Eight may not have as much action as previous films, but the variety of character traits and plot lines make it a potential classic.