What I find particularly amusing about this thread is how so many people are praising this movie, and now, after the fog has lifted, the feeling has left, more and more are seeing this movie for what it really is.
That said, I FINALLY saw this tonight. I enjoyed it on a superficial, visceral level, much more than I thought I would, but I've gotta agree with P, and to a lesser extent SoNowThen and mutinyco. I really question anyone's dedication to cinephilia if they evey question for a second the greatness of Pulp Fiction (truly an almost perfect film) and the style and class of Jackie Brown (Tarantino's most mature, accomplished work) and consider this movie of all things any sort of second coming. It's not. At best, it was empty entertainment -- this is not the Tarantino I know, and if it's who he's become, I don't want to see any more of it. Yes, it had me on the edge of my seat at several points. It drew me in. It had somewhat compelling characters. It made cute references to films of the past (and I particularly enjoyed the New Wave-y feel of the first part of the movie). It had so many compelling moments, but that's all they were. They were empty.
To compare: it's the same feeling I had when I saw Mulholland Drive for the first time. A lot of great scenes that didn't really add up to anything. Except with Mulholland Drive, I was a lot more angry at the end. Here, I had fun. The Pai Mei segment was inspired and actually had something to do with the film. The twisting, the turning, and the subversion were all inspired, but I'm seeing all these ideas and concepts that don't really serve any purpose except to subvert. There is no heart here. The subversion here in Kibble worked, yes. The ending fit, the closing credits with Bride driving were perfect. But something about the whole package just doesn't mesh.
A friend of mine put it this way: it seems like there's a bit of whim here, where character's motives are swayed and bent to serve the plot, to serve the action. One minute, a character has one motivation for doing something, the next it's gone. It's all done this way to push along the plot, to push along this final confrontation, when none of this is logically feasible.
Carradine was great, as was Thurman. Their acting should be commended. It was nice having a "villain" (if you could call him that) who you can feel empathy for. Thurman crying/almost laughing on the bathroom floor after it's all over -- some sort of huge catharsis -- was one of the most unique scenes ever. Ghostboy was right in saying that we'll never see another movie like this, and that scene was one reason. But again I am reminded that just because there's one good scene here and there doesn't mean the whole movie is great. Tarantino has all the threads here, but forgot to tie the knots tight.
