Rare: A film that could, maybe, change lives. Then again, I guess not

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2002)

It was a white-knuckler, for me. I don't normally go for action/suspense/suchlike, so this was a real roller-coaster. The scene where Willis returns from the "Zed" scene and finally has a moment of tenderness with his girlfriend before she hops on the motorcycle to split town was an incredible tension release.
The most amazing thing about this movie was that I found it to have a powerful prophesy for America buried in it's dark, edgy depths. When fate (or something like fate) saves our collective ass one last time from our arguably justifiable comeuppance, are _we_ going to find ourselves reflecting upon our internalized national mythologies and searching for the truths hidden therein, as does Sam Jackson's character? Or will we blow it off and continue down the path of self-gratification at any cost and deferred self-examination, as does John Travolta's character?
I think 9/11 gave us our answer; the latter, not the former, popular protestations of spiritual reevaluation and reflection notwithstanding.
One arguable bit o' fat in the movie: The sequence with The Wolf and the car clean-up and all that. It either should have been left on the cutting room floor entirely or rendered down a little. This is the *only* bit that detracts from the otherwise gem-like perfection of the experience. Because of the *almost* essential segue (our Heroes escape bullets, but the hapless kid doesn't) and the time element (Jackson needing time to reflect and decide to change his life), perhaps shaving it down a bit might have been the way to go.
Tarantino is a prophet and true visionary, cleverly disguised as a little American boy who never grew up; the kind that likes blowing up GI Joes in the driveway.