Splatter fest, but entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (25 March 2000)

Although the gratuitous violence and gore detract a little from it, I really enjoyed this gem from Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Admittedly the plot is a little far fetched, but it makes enough fun of itself that you can laugh at it easily. The main thing I noticed about this film was the acting. It would have been easy to lose sight of acting amidst the sex, violence and gore, but for me it shone through the guts as glory. George Clooney delivers one of the best performances if not the best that he has shown on the silver screen, and he was well backed up by Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis and Cheech Marin (3 in 1 guy). Good performances by Danny Trejo, the delectable Salma Hayek, and the biker guy made this a really fun ride. Clooney's delivery of his many one liners was superb, truly excellent. The fight scenes were also well done, although as mentioned already the splatter was a little over the top in places. However the acting, great sets and costumes, and a willingness not to take itself too seriously make this a fine film, and definitely one to see (for those over 18). 7 out of 10