Very entertaining crime film

Rating: 8/10 (25 February 2012)

Arguably Quentin Tarantino had almost perfected his blend of long takes, irrelevant and referential dialog and group of entertaining characters by the time of his debut film.
There are three scenes that stand out to me. First, there's the opening scene that introduces Tarantino's trademark of the camera hovering around the table while the immensely entertaining dialog is carried forward in all sorts of directions (there is a similarly brilliant conversation in a car later on). Secondly, there's the introduction to Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), during which he gets to rehearse and then tell a terrific smuggling story. Finally, there's the iconic ear scene; I had forgotten just how disturbing and simultaneously hilarious everything that the psychopathic Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) does in the movie is. Madsen is, along with the always as watchable Steve Buscemi, the standout actor in a fabulous cast.
I did, however, enjoy the film a bit less this time around. Between the brilliant scenes, the "guys are yelling at each other" routine tends to get a bit monotone. Nevertheless, it is tense, memorable, and probably the best "guys mess up a mission" film I have seen.