I got pretty hammered and watched it last night after not seeing it for years.
Wanted to drop a few more thoughts while it's still fresh in my mind.
It really is THAT good. Top 10 movie of all-time, easily. I don't think it can ever be dated. If anything, it's ahead of its time. In the 90's, filmmakers were getting away with things they probably couldn't get away with now. Some examples are Casino and Pulp Fiction. Both movies are brutally violent. Especially the former. And Pulp Fiction did something that you almost never see and certainly don't now -- it made doing heroin look cool and chic. When Vincent shoots up, then takes a nighttime drive with the top down while smoking a cigarette, it looks COOL. You can't get away with that now. Even the language. The word nigger is used often, but it's okay. It's never offensive.
Another thing it has in common with Casino (I only keep bringing it up because I watched it a few months ago as well and it's another movie that I cite as getting me interested in cinema) is that they both share the same DP. Both films look so good, but this one just screams independent cinema. It's a thing of beauty. I had to watch it on DVD and it really reminded me how much better blu-ray is and how huge a step up the technology is. I used to be awed by DVD. I remember when Magnolia and the Boogie Nights SE DVD's came out (SAME DAY!) and just how beautiful they looked. Now I watch the DVD's and they're ugly and hurt my eyes. This was no exception. It's a shame it's not out on blu-ray. I'm sure it's being saved for a giant money grab, but the format has already been around so long, you would think it would be out by now.
And the music -- it's overplayed now and if there is one soundtrack everyone here has bought during the course of their lives, it's this one, but it's like that way for a reason. The choice of musical cues coupled with the editing is just something special in this film. Another thing it has in common with Casino.
It's so good. Everything about it.