Another Great Film by Tarantino

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2016)

Quentin Tarantino is the kind of filmmaker who doesn't make the same movie twice but all of his movies have a feel to it, a signature theme. And this movie is right in his wheelhouse. Dialogue heavy, unique characters, revenge, redemption, and of course, F-bombs. Now while there are many fans of this style we get from every Tarantino film, myself included, there are also people who don't dig Tarantino and boy is this movie NOT for them.
This movie is basically a cinematic play. 80% of the movie takes place in one room and through the dialogue we learn about the characters more than their actions. The characters themselves are perfectly drawn for the scenarios that this story puts them in. And the actors in these roles nail it all across the board. Samuel L. Jackson stood out to me the most. Obviously he and Tarantino have built up a strong rapport over the years but it hasn't been since Jackie Brown that Jackson led a film of QT's. He knocks it out the park and it's a shame he wasn't awarded with a nomination from the academy.
Now when it comes to the story I was left a little underwhelmed. As you sit there trying to figure out who's really who and where their allegiances lie, the tension and mystery build very well. But the execution of the reveal is what disappointed me. It seemed like it would have been better to have the reveals come through the climax as opposed to cut back to the reveal then jump back to the climax. Overall I enjoyed the mystery of the movie but I kind of feel like Tarantino unnecessarily dumbed down the reveal.
As for the technical aspects of this film, they are all top notch. Ennio Morricone's score captured the tone of this film perfectly, Robert Richardson's cinematography made you feel the cold of the blizzard. The editing was smooth. Costumes and sets looked awesome. While yes this is a 2 hour and 48 minute movie (over 3 hours in 70mm), the dialogue and editing make swift work of the movie. I was actually surprised when the last chapter title card came up.
Being a huge fan of Tarantino, I can't call this his best work. Actually, I can't even go top 5 out of his 8 films. But that isn't to say this isn't a great movie, it is. I just feel that most of his other movies are better. But even an OK Tarantino movie is still a good movie overall, the guy is just that talented. I would recommend this to any Tarantino fan or film buff but this isn't for everyone. Not a great date movie but definitely enjoyable to the person who knows what they're getting from this movie. Good story, great characters, and lots of amazing dialogue.
8 out of 10 stars