OVERLAY REPORT

In Quentin Tarantino’s *The Hateful Eight* (2015), the relationship between **Major Marquis Warren** (Samuel L. Jackson) and **John "The Hangman" Ruth** (Kurt Russell) is the emotional and thematic core of the film's first half. Their bond evolves from wary professional respect to a fragile friendship, then to a bitter sense of betrayal, and finally to a posthumous legacy of shared justice. ### 1. The Wary Encounter (The Road to Red Rock) The film begins with Warren stranded in the snow with three frozen bounties. When Ruth’s stagecoach approaches, the interaction is initially tense. Ruth is famously paranoid; he is "The Hangman" because he always brings his bounties in alive to watch them hang, and he suspects anyone on the road might be a confederate of his prisoner, Daisy Domergue. * **The Connection:** They realize they know each other by reputation and met briefly eight months prior in Chattanooga. This shared professional history allows Ruth to trust Warren enough to let him board, though he still insists on Warren being disarmed and briefly handcuffed until he is satisfied. ### 2. Bonding Over the "Lincoln Letter" The turning point in their early relationship is the **Lincoln Letter**. Warren carries a personal letter supposedly written to him by Abraham Lincoln. * **The Effect:** Ruth, a man who believes deeply in the "system" of law and order, is profoundly moved by the letter. To Ruth, the letter proves Warren is a man of exceptional character and nobility. It bridges the racial divide of the post-Civil War era, leading Ruth to treat Warren as a peer and even a friend. He defends Warren against Daisy’s racism and shares his stew and tobacco. ### 3. The Pact of Mutual Protection When the stagecoach picks up Chris Mannix—a Southern "Lost Causer" and the alleged new Sheriff of Red Rock—the dynamic shifts. Mannix is openly racist and antagonistic toward Warren. * **The Alliance:** Sensing a threat from the newcomers at Minnie’s Haberdashery, Ruth formally proposes a "partnership." He gives Warren his guns back and tells him, "You and me, we're the only ones in here I trust." He trusts Warren to watch his back while he sleeps, and they agree to protect each other’s bounties. In a house full of "hateful" strangers, they are the only stable unit. ### 4. The Great Betrayal (The Forgery Revealed) The most significant shift occurs during dinner at Minnie's. Mannix mocks the idea of the Lincoln Letter, calling it a "tall tale." Under pressure, Warren admits that **the letter is a forgery.** * **Warren's Motivation:** Warren explains that the letter is a "shield"—it makes white people feel more comfortable and "disarmed" around a Black man. * **Ruth’s Reaction:** Ruth is devastated. His trust wasn't just broken; his worldview was insulted. He feels he was "played" like a fool. He tells Warren, "You hurt my feelings," and regresses into the same racial prejudices he had previously transcended, muttering that "it’s true what they say" about not trusting Black people. This effectively ends their friendship; they remain allies only out of necessity. ### 5. Death and the Legacy of the Hangman Ruth’s arc ends abruptly when he drinks poisoned coffee meant for the group. As he dies a gruesome death, vomiting blood, Daisy uses the opportunity to kill him with his own gun. * **Warren’s Response:** Despite their recent falling out, Warren is genuinely angered by Ruth's murder. He takes charge of the cabin, seeking to avenge Ruth and find the killer. * **The Final Act:** In the film’s conclusion, Warren and a wounded Mannix decide to hang Daisy Domergue rather than simply shooting her. They do this **"in honor of Ruth."** By choosing the slow, difficult method of execution Ruth preferred, Warren reaffirms their bond. Even in death, Ruth’s philosophy of "the hangman" triumphs, as Warren and Mannix—two former enemies—unite to carry out John Ruth's final wish.