Loosing the plot.

Rating: 7/10 (12 April 2004)

To keep it short this film was not a great film but a self indulgent attempt at cool. Pulp fiction was a great film because it's strengths over came it's weaknesses. You had characters you could be interested in that made up from some of the more flat elements (some would say that contrast made them better).
Here you have a series of scenes that are bloody in a monty python way (I was waiting for some of the henchmen to say 'come back - it's only a flesh wound' in Japanese) and in general aimed to shock. But without any kind of emotional set up they only end up being cartoon like. And, as the film tries to cut off the critics from this opinion, we then have a cartoon sequence that is even more bloody and violent.
If you want violence that entertains go back to some of the films that this film apes but fails to fully understand.
I am hoping part two will add in some sense of meaningful plot (which it promises to) and maybe it should have been one film after all, and heavily edited with some good dialogue put back in.
Why this is in the top 100 on this site I do not understand. If you think this is a great movie then it's time to start trying some of the foreign language films at you local video store!
Stew Dean