Fantastically disappointing.

Rating: 4/10 (3 January 2016)

Let me begin by stating that I am a big fan of Tarantino's work. I rate 'Pulp Fiction', 'Kill Bill 1&2' and 'Django Unchained' (and even the inconsistent 'Inglorious Basterds'), among some of my favourite films. So why has Tarantino produced this mishmash of completely unlikeable characters meandering their way through a plot that has little point. At the end of this film I immediately thought "why did he make this?". Yes, the cinematography is first rate, the actors superb, the sets and costumes excellent and realistic for the period, the direction great the score apt. But surely we go to the cinema for more than an appreciation of technical mastery? I know I do. Essentially the medium of film is a vehicle for telling a story, albeit via the means of the art form of the 20th century. But the point is to engage us, the audience, so that we are moved emotionally or psychologically or taught some lesson of intellectual or moral worth. This film fulfills none of these criteria. Furthermore the script portrays none of Tarantino's usual wit or flair, the dialogue is pedestrian at best and trite and boorish at worst. The plot is predictable and uninspiring. I only ended up feeling some sympathy for one character and that was only because of all the unpleasantness and brutishness that befalls them. In summary, go to see this film only if you are a die-hard Tarantino fan and only then so that you can say that you have viewed all his works, as by contrast this should make you appreciate his other efforts. As a piece of cinema it is a well made yet abject failure. Fantastically disappointing.