A disturbing insight into the perversity of our age

Rating: 1/10 (24 February 2013)

Anyone finding this film actually enjoyable should seek immediate psychiatric help. The highly graphic depiction of dozens of revoltingly perverse and entirely gratuitous killings together with endless scenes of physical and psychological torture spread over nearly three hours of virtually plot less melodrama written only to facilitate this obscenity can only appeal to the mentally damaged. You have been warned.
A 'German' bounty hunter recruits a black slave by murdering his owners when they refuse to sell him. He needs the slave in order to identify some outlaws whom he wishes to kill for the reward money. However he subsequently guns down dozens of men with little if any identification or certainty that they have ever committed any crime other than their support for slavery - which at the time in 1850's Texas was entirely legal.
Were the film to feature typical Hollywood 'clean kills' this review would be less critical. But Tarrentino treats his loyal acolytes instead to a virtually non-stop feast of gushing blood, exploding body parts and agonized screams spiced by the odd bullet aimed deliberately in the groin or knees in order to extend the suffering and misery of the unfortunate victims - and more emphatically, the perverse pleasure of those who enjoy witnessing his 'art'.
There is one redeeming feature of this whole ghastly mess; the performance of Leonardo as a gentleman slave owner is absolutely flawless. His wonderful diction and captivating gestures enlivened my flagging attention like a beacon of shining talent amidst the murky gloom of mediocrity. But alas his is a small cameo contribution which the producers have shamelessly exploited with an entirely unwarranted 3rd place billing behind the central pair.
Leonardo's subsequent retirement from Hollywood is now fully understood. One wonders how much he knew of the nature of this production before he agreed to participate in it. And perhaps more importantly the decline in American society characterized by frequent senseless and perverse killings is also explained by such trash for plainly this sort of film must play a pivotal role in formulating the mindset of the millions who are subjected to it.
But the perversity of the Hollywood system that has nominated this filth for several Oscars (tonight) cannot be explained so easily. How on Earth could such a production be given so many accolades?