Under-rated Tarantino gem

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2006)

I was really pleasantly surprised by this Tarantino crime drama. Thinking back to the days of its original release, I don't remember much enthusiasm for this film. Yet, having watched it for the first time last night, I thought it was fantastic! It contained many of those retro Tarantino tricks that I love - the '70's soundtrack; the unexpected cuts and fades; the tricks with the time-line. The characters were fantastically portrayed for the most part - Samuel L. Jackson is a genius in this film as is DeNiro in his very understated role. In fact, this DeNiro character is unlike most others I can think of and in that sense, is sort of a relief. And Robert Forster captures the essence of Max the bail bondsman perfectly. This film lacks some of the wild pace and excessive violence of other Tarantino films. I find that a bit of a relief, too. The plot twists are interesting and bottom line is - this movie is a lot of fun. Heartily recommended.