A modern classic, but not my cup of tea

Rating: 7/10 (12 November 2005)

Quentin Tarantino's bloody ode to Asian gangster movies is reverent, satirical, and engrossing - just not for the faint of heart. Interconnecting stories seem to say more about the heedless violence of crime than the doomed characters who are drawn down its path. John Travolta made a comeback with his role in this modern classic, but behold the power of Samuel L. Jackson in an essentially leading role and witness the dawn of sexy Uma Thurman, future star of Kill Bill (perhaps a more easily enjoyable film, given its tongue-in-cheek nature as a pure action flick). The best scene is Travolta's appropriately nostalgic dance with Thurman to "You Never Can Tell."