The intelligence present in this film is astounding.

Rating: Null/10 (13 October 2004)

I have read some of the previous comments concerning people's expectations for this movie. It seems like the majority, at least of the ones I read, felt this movie was a let-down. The following are the main points I read, and some rebuttals, when appropriate.
1. I was expecting more from Tarantino after having waited so long for a new film.
Given a few generations, a good man becomes a god. The same goes for expectations for movies. You see a movie you really like, you live a few years, and then the same writer/director comes out with a new movie and you are disappointed. I haven't seen a movie this well done in a long time. When I comapare it to most of the films of today, I am relieved to see such smart work.
2. The plot is stupid.
It has been hypothesized that there are only about 7 plots in the world. You have to figure, if you are going to do a movie, you have to accept that much of what you will do has already been done. What Tarantino has done here is write a plot that works, and then worked in the ingenuity. Betrayal, revenge, murder, yeah, yeah, blah, blah. A summary of the movie simply doesn't do any justice. I will explain why later.
3. Tarantino took a bunch of stuff from a bunch of old Kungfu movies and threw it all together into one movie.
This is similar to #2. I think it's important to be aware here that this was his intent, and has always been his signature. Tarantino was probably raised on television, and his memory for what he saw is insane. He took his favorite elements of those movies and used them to make a collage. And it works.
Now, for my critique of the film. If I were to take any single element of this film and rate it without the context of the rest, I might find this movie typical. However, the combination of camera movement, retro nuances, score, framing, storyline, introduction and outcome, and overall organization of events, this film is top notch. The creativity displayed in each scene, the hidden references and allusions, everything is so well packed, if you keep your eyes open, you will be impressed. Just don't take the kids.