Quentin Tarantino is back in the old West – this time, for a tightly contained epic, as eight suspicious characters are confined to a stagecoach stopover in Wyoming during a blizzard. All have their secrets, and all are dangerous and not too far from a weapon. Tensions run wild and bloody retribution is probably not too far behind (the R rating is for high impact violence, so you can guess what’s coming).

Either you’re a Tarantino fan or you’re not. If you’re not… there’s probably something really good elsewhere in the program for you, possibly with bonnets, go read up on that instead. If you are, you appreciate his abilities with tense, clever dialogue, with iconic characters, with impactful violent action, and with a witty, wilfully perverse sense of humour.

The Film Group will not be showing the slightly longer 70mm version of the film (as we don't have a 70mm projector – unless some kind benefactor has ponied up the necessary dollars), but at the heart of this film is a long, protracted standoff of the style Tarantino has been giving us since Reservoir Dogs. And that's a tension that holds true no matter how you see it.

Expect top-line performances from performers both familiar to Tarantino (Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Kurt Russell) and new (Jennifer Jason Leigh); a rich, brand new score from composer Ennio Morricone (plus three unused tracks from The Thing) and a whole lotta blood.