Amusing, but hardly a masterpiece

Rating: 6/10 (1 April 2010)

The hyperbole being bandied about regarding this film is certainly Tarantino-esqe. It is an amusing film, well crafted and fun to watch, but there is nothing incredibly artistic about it. It has little of the writing brilliance that Pulp Fiction has and doesn't convey brutality the way Reservoir Dogs does.
It has a little bit of everything, though, and is certainly a fine film. The dialog is snappy, the comic timing is decent, and Christoph Waltz does a good job of being over the top without being over the top about it. The acting, in general, is top shelf. Production, in general, is solid. It is a good movie.
But it is NOT remotely as good as many here would have it. There is little sense that the movie was written to convey anything much beyond a comical telling of a slightly Stooges-esqe, though rather bloodthirsty, war tale. If you like Tarantino, go see it by all means, but don't expect anything earth-shatteringly good - certainly not top 70 films of all time good.
(and why does this &^^%@#% system insist on changing -esque to -esquire?!?)