Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: A robbery goes wrong, and we watch as angry, scared, and amazingly violent criminals deal with the aftermath.
Biased, pithy comments: I should start and say I saw this movie out of order. I first saw ``Pulp Fiction,'' numerous John Woo movies, and even ``Clerks,'' all of which were inspired by (or borrowed from to make) this first-time director's try at making a good show. And what that leaves me saying is ``Good, but not great.'' Filmed almost entirely in an abandoned warehouse, I get the same feeling here as if I was watching sketch theatre---low, low, low budget made up for by the script. The fast-talking and cultural references are done better elsewhere and the ``perfect crime gone wrong'' ends up better made in ``Usual Suspects,'' but this is still a film to watch (if you don't mind it being awash in blood---somewhat gross at times). Tarantino has gotten better, the genre that this strengthened (if not just plain kicked off, depending on how Hollywood-centric you want to be) has matured exponentially, and frankly I've seen gorier gore in horror films. But, it has an excellent cast and a clever script that does interesting things with time and trust, and thus I recommend it with the caveat that you might, like me, end up feeling like you've seen better.
Other Notes: I'm gonna get *so* much flaming for this. And I'm even saying I like the film, too. Sigh.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Time Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney.
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino