Superb Acting .... Horrible Story

Rating: 2/10 (29 March 2020)

I think the title of my review speaks for itself.
I've been a big fan of Quentin's good work over the last 3 decades.
First and foremost the acting is stellar. Anyone whose not a Leo fan cannot deny that he is an exceptional actor. Even Pitt gets into character so well it just fits.
The other characters although well acted are just random in their development.
This movie starts well but then goes nowhere. It has a story to tell but Tarantino doesn't know how to do it. If you just want to see some good acting then sit back and enjoy. The directing is also great, even a bad story can be told in a way that is entertaining.
For someone as critically acclaimed as Tarantino, let me be very critical here. Unfortunately the story takes a really bad turn at the end, almost as if someone was desperate in badly needing unrealistic violence which doesn't place well in this movie at all. This is what made the movie go from boring to bad. The exaggeration of the violence displayed by Tarantino ruins the film.
Tarantino's objective of mixing fact & fiction is poorly blended. Much like adding beer to a smoothie. Whereas it worked well in Tarantino's "Inglorious" it's just rushed in here to quickly at the end.
The cinematic idea of telling a side story that revolves around a bigger story, is really kind of a waste of true story. A double tragedy if you will.
The whole "what if" angle is poorly executed simply because the "true story" is not clearly revealed to the audience. A few simple extra minutes of story telling on the facts would have easily changed the outcome of the movie.
Apparently Tarantino demanded "carte blanche when making the movie when he probably should have listened to anyone else before wasting a $100 million good ones.
Who knows it could have been his directorial "debut" as a great writer of dramas. Approaching 60 it's time to put down the gore comic books and mature a little or a lot.