Outstanding achievement

Rating: 10/10 (1 April 2005)

A stunning, outstanding achievement. Will be remembered as a classic.
Easy to follow episodes difficult to fit together as a single story. Tarintino style plotting not strictly as necessary for this movie as it was for Pulp Fiction. True, though, this gives a certain graphic novel 'tight episode' feel to the story.
At least for me there was not that same degree of epiphany that comes when a non-sequential plot becomes clear(er). There is a moment that creates some of that emotional irony, but it feels more like it was in the service of knitting together the graphic novels' story lines, as opposed pulling together an emotional story line.
Still, this one should get some academy award nominations for truly inspired art direction and make up. Characters are brilliantly translated from the graphic to the cinematic.
Dialogue toys with the viewers' knowledge of 'comic book' and detective writing clichÃ©s, verging on the silly but with just enough self-mockery to redeem itself. In clear contrast to this word play, this is the most seriously and brutally violent exploration of the depths of human corruption put on screen within the realms of fiction.
Definitely a film for grown ups.