You've Never Seen Channing Tatum Like This Before

There are a few things that viewers have come to expect from Quentin Tarantino movies: lots of violence, a race-related plot, and the casting of Samuel L. Jackson in a crucial role. A Magic Mike star? Not so much. Yet in Tarantino's newest film, The Hateful Eight , Channing Tatum plays a significant part, and while I won't totally spoil it for you — it's part of a big twist that comes in the film's final act — I will say that it's a majorly different role that the actor's previous work. In this film, there's no dancing, no stripping, no cop-playing-a-high-schooler-ing; Tatum in The Hateful Eight is absolutely nothing like fans of the star's work have come to expect.

Which is a pretty great thing. The actor steals the show when he appears in the new film, which is a pretty impressive feat considering his castmates include Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and more. At first, it's a little hard to think of Tatum in the setting of 1800s Wyoming, but his performance (and his perfectly Western attire and accent) prove that he fits perfectly into Tarantino's weird, crazy world. His appearance in the film may not occur until the movie's more than halfway through, but believe me, by the time the credits roll, it'll be hard to think of anything else. He's smooth, he's witty, he's charming and he's violent — he's a perfect Tarantino character, and I give a lot of credit to the director and his crew for realizing that Tatum would be a perfect fit for the role. Look how well he fits in in this still from the trailer; you can see his (somewhat hidden) self on the right:

Tatum's time in The Hateful Eight will hopefully be a reminder to studios and audiences that he's capable of seriously impressive work, not just dancing and taking his clothes off on-screen (although let's be real, that'd be more than enough). He's proved his skills before in films like 10 Years and Foxcatcher, but those were smaller films that didn't capture audiences nearly as big as The Hateful Eight likely will. A Tarantino movie is a major deal, and it might just be the boost Tatum needs to be taken seriously as an actor, not just a performer. May 2016 be the year that we all recognize him for the true movie star he really is.

Image: The Weinstein Company