You ever watch a movie where you're supposed to hate everyone, but then one guy starts growing on you? That’s basically the Chris Mannix experience. When we first see Walton Goggins in The Hateful Eight, he’s freezing his tail off in the Wyoming snow, hollering about being the new Sheriff of Red Rock. He’s loud. He’s a former Confederate marauder. Honestly, he’s a total jerk.
But by the time the credits roll, he’s the one you’re rooting for. Sorta.
It’s one of those weird, lightning-in-a-bottle performances that reminds you why Quentin Tarantino keeps a "troupe" of actors. Goggins wasn't just a side character here; he ended up being the emotional backbone of a three-hour "bottle episode" full of killers.
The "Lost Little Boy" in a Sheriff’s Hat
Walton Goggins has this way of talking about Chris Mannix that makes you realize how much thought went into the character. He once described Mannix as being in a state of "arrested development." Think about it. The guy spent his whole life following his daddy, Erskine Mannix, around like a lost puppy, burning down towns and holding onto a lost cause.
He’s a rabble-rouser. He pokes people.
Goggins says the character starts as an "unruly seventeen-year-old" who has never had an original thought in his life. He’s just regurgitating the racism and politics he was spoon-fed. But then the blizzard hits, the blood starts spraying, and he reverts to being a "lost four-year-old."
It’s a wild arc. He goes from a bumbling, annoying tag-along to a man who finally thinks for himself. When he chooses to side with Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) at the end, it’s not because they’ve become best buddies. It’s because Mannix finally found his own sense of justice, even if it’s a bloody one.
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What most people get wrong about the "Sheriff"
The big question everyone asks after watching The Hateful Eight is: Was he actually the Sheriff?
Tarantino never gives us a straight "yes" or "no" on screen, but Goggins has his own take. He played the role believing he was the Sheriff. He never lies in the movie. Not once. He catches everyone else in their lies—Warren’s fake Lincoln letter, Daisy’s schemes, Joe Gage’s "mamma" story—but Mannix stays remarkably honest about who he is.
That honesty is what makes his survival (and eventual team-up with Warren) feel earned.
The "Gold" of Tarantino's Dialogue
If you think Goggins just showed up and winged that southern drawl, think again. The man is a workhorse. He’s mentioned in interviews that he approaches a script like Anthony Hopkins does—reading it hundreds of times. Literally.
He said he’d read the script 250 to 300 times to get the "music" of the words down.
Tarantino’s dialogue is percussive. It has a rhythm. For Goggins, it wasn't about memorizing lines; it was about understanding the thought behind every word. He even used to frame pages of the script just to look at the flow of the text on his wall.
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Why he nearly lost it on set
Working with legends like Kurt Russell and Bruce Dern isn't exactly a low-pressure environment. Goggins has talked about how he had to "steady himself" before walking onto the set.
There's this great story about a scene in the stagecoach where Kurt Russell got so frustrated (in character) that he didn't know what to do with his hands. He ended up grabbing his own mustache and jetting his hands down it. Goggins said it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen and he almost ruined the take by laughing.
It’s that kind of chemistry—that "communion," as he calls it—that makes the tension in Minnie’s Haberdashery feel so real. They weren't just actors; they were a "tight-knit family" trapped in a refrigerated set.
Ranking the Performance
Is this Goggins' best work? It's up there.
- The Shield: Shane Vendrell was his breakout.
- Justified: Boyd Crowder gave him the "backwoods Shakespeare" reputation.
- The Hateful Eight: Chris Mannix proved he could steal a movie from Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell.
Most critics at the time felt Goggins was the "breakout" of the film. While the veterans were doing their (admittedly great) thing, Goggins brought a frantic, unpredictable energy. He was the only character who actually changed. Everyone else stayed exactly who they were until they died. Mannix evolved.
Making Sense of the Ending
The final scene with the Lincoln letter is basically the heart of the movie. Earlier, Mannix laughs in Warren’s face because he knows the letter is a fake. He calls it "a nice touch," but he sees it as a "quasi-racist" trick.
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By the end, as they’re both bleeding out, he asks to read it again.
He acknowledges the craft of the lie. It’s a moment of mutual respect between two men who, hours earlier, would have happily killed each other. It’s not a "happily ever after" ending. It’s a "we’re both dying in the middle of nowhere and nothing matters except this one shared moment of dignity" ending.
How to appreciate the performance today
If you’re going back for a rewatch, keep an eye on Goggins' physicality. He starts big—lots of waving hands, shouting, taking up space. As the movie goes on, he gets "smaller." He becomes more intimate, more focused.
Next Steps for the Goggins Fan:
- Watch the Extended Version: If you’ve only seen the theatrical cut, hunt down the four-part miniseries version on Netflix. It gives the dialogue more room to breathe.
- Compare to Boyd Crowder: Watch an episode of Justified right after. You’ll see how he uses a completely different "Southern" cadence for each character.
- Check out "The Accountant": This is the short film that won Goggins an Oscar (as a producer) back in 2001. It shows he’s been a storyteller way before Tarantino called him.
The beauty of Chris Mannix is that he’s a "hateful" person who finds a sliver of humanity at the worst possible time. It’s messy, it’s violent, and it’s exactly why Goggins is one of the best to ever do it.