Proof that Quentin Tarantino was a skilled filmmaker from day one, already beginning to master his craft.

Rating: 9/10 (1 March 2011)

As Quentin Tarantino's first film this one truly sets the hallmarks for the director which would be used in his later films. The movie is about six criminals who work together to rob a bank but their employer attempts to keep it professional. They all dress in suits and never use their real names so as to keep their real identities hidden. Interestingly the film completely revolves around the robbery but it is never actually shown with the entire movie jumping back and forth from before and after the robbery. It shows how the different men got hired on for the job and how they react to the robbery going completely wrong. Most of the group believes that they were set up so they also must discover which one of them is an undercover cop. So the story is very non-linear which really keeps it interesting and the movie really makes you keep on guessing about who the undercover cop is which is really good storytelling. So overall an excellent plot that works very well in the film.
All of the actors do a stupendous job here in each of their roles. Harvey Keitel plays Mr. White and does a great job at getting sympathy, professionalism, and the ability to do what is necessary without needing to be pushed. Then there is Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde or your psychopath of the film. He seems incredibly calm and professional around others but once they leave he really seems like a loon which means that he does a good job in his role. Tim Roth plays Mr. Orange who is injured throughout the majority of the movie (all of the after the robbery scenes) and he works really well too with how someone would act when they are injured like that. And we also have Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink who isn't crazy or very professional either but he is smart and plans everything out. Just like everyone else in this movie he does his job perfectly. So we have some excellent acting here from the entire cast.
When it comes down to the special effects they are quite good for the time period and budget with some very realistic looking injuries and wounds plus some great looking gunshots and just about everything else. The music has a lot of 1970s songs in it and it works surprisingly well for the movie. The soundtrack is iconic and memorable which really helps get the film off the ground.
Overall, this isn't Quentin Tarantino's best film but it is still incredibly entertaining. It is incredibly violent and has some very course language but if you can sit through all of that then you'll really see a skilled filmmaker just beginning to master the craft. The non-linear storytelling is rarely used in films which really keeps the audience thinking and with such an incredible story, stupendous acting, and some decent production values this one is worth a watch. Score: 9/10