The plot is mostly linear, with occasional and clear flashback scenes, and takes place over a couple of days in one large room. The mysterious back stories, goals and even identities of the characters all build into the larger mystery as the one-room mystery meets gritty western. You know less than the main characters and piece things together slowly, suspecting them themselves as much as you follow their suspicion of others. Every small plot twist is sudden and unexpected, but reveals much about the previous events.

By the end of the film you'll be arguing with yourself about which characters are the real hateful eight - by the start of the main plot there are nine characters present, for one thing. No character is particularly likable, except some minor characters in flashbacks, but this film teeters between having a wholly hateful cast and justifying or minimising the hatefulness of some. Easily defined characters are not what Hateful is really going for, despite it's title, and the nuance of their hatefulness makes each character believable and intriguing.

If you're a diehard Tarantino fan, or watching because you admire his individual style, this isn't going to be your favourite of his films, but it is a great film. It's quite the filmography to live up to, and it deserves it's place. Seeing a Tarantino film in the cinema was a personal goal, having a blood phobia as I do, but the violence might mean this is better suited for home viewing.

The interesting part comes in it's three settings of the kidnapping location, the film studio and the in-film scenes. The way the acting and action changes between real and fake are clear, but the changes in lighting, such as the colour, shadows and tone, give the visual 'feel' a noticeable difference. It's easy to tell when scenes on film sets are being seen by the characters and when they're being seen through the studio's cameras.

The contrast between real and fiction in the studio sits next to the contrast between the studio and the kidnapping setting, too. While some things are perfect comparisons, such as a dark outside night kidnapper scene and an overly well lit nighttime film scene, some are amusingly matching. Some characters are as 2D and predictable as you might think, and then at the same time three dimensional and surprisingly complex.

Just as the film doesn't have unneeded sex or violence, as the first ever Coen Brothers film where no one at all dies, it has a sense of whimsy and a gentle sense of humour. That moment in the trailer with the pronunciation of "oh that it were so simple"? Part of a long scene of funny failures and frustration, playing out slowly and surely.

Altogether, Hail, Caesar! is great as a comedy and as a mystery, and a great addition to the filmography of everyone involved. Anyone can watch it and probably should.