An attempt to recapture Reservoir dogs that fails

Rating: 5/10 (31 October 2017)

The opening of the movie is great. However after the first 30 minutes it begins to go downhill fast. If you have seen Reservoir dogs you have seen this movie. It is just moved to a Western setting and lacking the tension and suspense Reservoir dogs built. There is a great sound track, good acting, but the plot just washes away in a sea of blah. Essentially a B flick rip off with A flick actors and camera work, even if it's Tarantino ripping off his own work. There are some mild political spew, it's a distraction at best and the time wasted could have been used to try to save the plot, build at least a little suspense or do something interesting. Wish Hollywood would understand we don't watch movies to be preached at. We get enough of that already, we watch movies to get away from it. At least the preaching was mild even if it destroyed suspension of belief and produced yawns.
The historical mistakes made in the movie were far too many to list. I think you have to lay this dud on the director & writer. Everyone else did a great job with what was a poor script and directing. Maybe Tarantino just needed money or was trying to recapture past glory. He sure missed the mark with this movie. The base concept was a really interesting idea spoiled by poor writing and directing. I am not a big Tarantino fan. Most of his movies are so over the top as to be comical. Every so often he directs a gem. Reservoir dogs was a great movie for example. Pulp Fiction was a pretty good film and Jackie Brown was well worth watching. On the flip side Inglorious Bastards is one of the few high budget WW II films that I didn't like. It was about as pointless and stupid war movie as I've ever seen. Way over the top and so poorly directed you start rooting for the bad guys just so there's something interesting about the movie. Death Proof despite Kurt Russell was another really boring movie. It was one of the few movies staring Russell I did not like.