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Includes CSI Seasons 1-4 ... Read more

Reviews (349)

Fantastic!
Quentin Tarantino's debut film RESERVOIR DOGS broke new ground that many other directors and screen writers were afraid to tread upon. This amazingly well-written, directed, and acted film is about a jewel heist gone wrong and the consequences of each man's suspicions. Harvey Keitel is wonderful as tough but compassionate Mr. White(Each man is given an alias name, no one's real name is used), Michael Madsen is cool and psychotic as Mr. Blonde, Sean Penn delivers a strong performance as Nice-Guy Eddie, Lawrence Tierney is very intimidating as Joe, the crime boss, and Quentin Tarantino gives a great cameo performance as the short-lived Mr. Brown. The really great performances definitely go to Tim Roth and Steve Buscemi. For Roth(Mr. Orange), this was a breakthrough role in which he spends a good deal of the movie drenched in his own blood and in his screams of pain never once goes into an over-the-top performance. It's right on the money. Buscemi is dripping with attitude and gives one of his best performances until FARGO in RESERVOIR DOGS. From the moment he appears on screen, you know its gonna be a bumpy ride. A must-see for anyone who enjoys lotsa suspense, catchy dialogue and music, and some great action scenes.

Tarantino Makes His Mark
Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs is a brilliantly written, unique film that paved the way for Mr. Tarantino's breakthrough film, Pulp Fiction. The plot of Reservoir Dogs revolves around a diamond heist that goes afoul. A group of criminals who have never worked together are assembled and given names like Mr. White, Mr. Pink and Mr. Blonde. The film is intercut with flashbacks in which the characters played by Michael Madsen, Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth are explored in more detail. Mr. Madsen is incredible as the psychotic Mr. Blonde and his scene in which he brutalizes a cop in medieval fashion is alternately disturbingly brutal and humorous. Steve Buschemi is a scream as the jumpy Mr. Pink and Mr. Keitel provides the film with its backbone as Mr. White. Mr. Tarantino has keen eye for detail and the opening scene in a diner in which the crooks are discussing everything from what Madonna meant in her song "Like A Virgin" to 70's songs to tipping contains some of the sharpest dialogue in years. Mr. Tarantino also uses music to great effect and he overlays scenes with the voice of comedian Steven Wright as host of a radio show K Billy's Super Sounds of the 70's. Reservoir Dogs is a tremendous debut film and introduced Mr. Tarantino as a force.
The 10th Anniversary Edition is nice a step up in sound and quality from the first edition. The extras are good, but just the overall better sound and picture is worth purchasing this version if you already own the first.

Stylized, intelligent--but someone tell Quentin he can't act
To a degree amateurish, but to an equal degree compelling and original, Reservoir Dogs is a stylistic, gritty look at the gangsters of Quentin Tarantino's imagination. The story, such as it is, is the weak point of the film. The strange tale of an undercover cop who tries to bust up a family-sized gangster ring is just plain silly at times. The strong points, however, are many. Each character has a terrific, interesting voice; the dialogue is snappy and artistic; the music choices are inspired. And that infamous "ear" scene? Frankly, it's one of the few scenes that doesn't work. It just comes off as dumb.

Think of Reservior Dogs as the rough sketch for a movie yet to come: Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction is superior in every respect, but it's a treat to see its progenitor.

Bold enough to be a new genre
Quentin Tarantino has done an amazing job at taking a very low budget, and using a unique method of story telling and raw dialogue to turn it around. He was also lucky to get a great cast much like Pulp Fiction did. This film creates a new genre, because his un-chronological and very raw vision will be and is being copied all over the world. Many people criticize Tarantino for worshipping violence and profanity. However, when you examine the film's plot, it is really quite reasonable that characters swear as much as they do. And also, the violence in the movie only seems as bad as you make it in your mind, as the worst parts are only partially shown. This is another one of Tarantino's tricks. Some great performances are had too, for example Michael Madsen. His cold-blooded and partially psychotic character misleads us, up until a scene where he attempts to burn a kidnapped police officer, where our adoration of him turns to hate. However, Quentin quickly balances that out wonderfully. The ending may be a little "off" for some people, but all in all a great film.

Awesome movie. Awesome DVD. Definitely one of the Best!
First and foremost, this is indisputably Quentin Tarentino's best film ever. After having seen it some dozen-plus times, it still captivates and intrigues me with every watching. The way the plot works itself out is ingenius, the suspense is second-to-none. Steve Buscemi, as Mr. Pink, is a highlight of this movie: He plays his character ridiculously well.

The entire two hours of this film are violent, disturbing, riveting, captivating, and raw: All said, this film is like a cinematic car accident - you rubberneck, you gasp, you feed this primordial urge to see violence and power. The story of five men - Mr. Blue, Mr. Pink, Mr. White, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blonde - converge when they are called into do a jewelry store heist. However, theyf ind out that one of their fellow gangsters has set them up: That the heist failed because someone among them had ratted them out.
The entire movie unfolds as, really, a two hour dialogue between Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, and Mr. White - as well as with the subsequent intruders into the wharehouse. The entire film, essentially, takes place in a wharehouse with sporadic flashbacks and cuts to other instances which lead up to the final scene.

This DVD is an awesome buy. It comes with a fullscreen and widescreen edition, as well as lots of special editions: trailors, posters, picture galleries, etc. Definitely, this movie is an excellent addition to anyone's DVD collection. One of the best values I have in my collection! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Brutal and breathtaking, Sin City is Robert Rodriguez's stunningly realized vision of Frank Miller's pulpy comic books. In the first of three separate but loosely related stories, Marv (Mickey Rourke in heavy makeup) tries to track down the killers of a woman who ended up dead in his bed. In the second story, Dwight's (Clive Owen) attempt to defend a woman from a brutal abuser goes horribly wrong, and threatens to destroy the uneasy truce among the police, the mob, and the women of Old Town. Finally, an aging cop on his last day on the job (Bruce Willis) rescues a young girl from a kidnapper, but is himself thrown in jail.Years later, he has a chance to save her again.

Based on three of Miller's immensely popular and immensely gritty books (The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, and That Yellow Bastard), Sin City is unquestionably the most faithful comic-book-based movie ever made. Each shot looks like a panel from its source material, and director Rodriguez (who refers to it as a "translation" rather than an adaptation) resigned from the Directors Guild so that Miller could share a directing credit. Like the books, it's almost entirely in stark black and white with some occasional bursts of color (a woman's red lips, a villain's yellow face). The backgrounds are entirely digitally generated, yet not self-consciously so, and perfectly capture Miller's gritty cityscape. And though most of Miller's copious nudity is absent, the violence is unrelentingly present. That may be the biggest obstacle to viewers who aren't already fans of the books and who may have been turned off by Kill Bill (whose director, Quentin Tarantino, helmed one scene of Sin City). In addition, it's a bleak, desperate world in which the heroes are killers, corruption rules, and the women are almost all prostitutes or strippers. But Miller's stories are riveting, and the huge cast--which also includes Jessica Alba, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Elijah Wood, Nick Stahl, Michael Clarke Duncan, Devin Aoki, Carla Gugino, and Josh Hartnett--is just about perfect. (Only Bruce Willis and Michael Madsen, while very well-suited to their roles, seem hard to separate from their established screen personas.) In what Rodriguez hopes is the first of a series, Sin City is a spectacular achievement.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (143)

This is like the worst thing I've ever seen
Well, I'm sitting in the theater waiting for this to start and thinking about how great that last movie I saw was. It was The Pacifier btw and it rocked unlike this carp. Well, this thing starts and immediately something is wrong. I yell to the guy and tell him to turn up the color or something but he says that's how the movie is. WTFzzors? I just saw The Pacifier which was awesome in color and now I have to watch this carp trying to be a relic from the 1950s? If I wanted to watch a boring movie with bad dialogue in black and white, I'd rent Citizen Kane or Seven Samurai. I come to the movies to be entertained not to watch boring talk with no color. Pass this carp up. Go see The Pacifier with Vin Diesel instead. He's a much better actor than anyone in this movie.

Amazing Movie...
I could go on and on and tell you the 10 billion reasons why this is one of the best films i have ever watched, but everyone else has already done that. The fact is, this movie ROCKS, i could watch it time and time again and never get tired. So simply go out and see this movie and enjoy the visual masterpiece. The music is also amazing. SEE THIS FILM!

Miller's graphic novels become Rodriguez's film noir epic
"Sin City" is a black and white world, except when the blood is being sprayed around and then be prepared for lots of red or white or even yellow. Based on three of the first four "Sin City" graphic novels by Frank Miller ("The Hard Good-Bye," "The Big Fat Kill," and "That Yellow Bastard") and "The Customer Is Always Right" short-story from "Babe Wore Red" that was the test run for this project, this 2005 film sets the standard for what film noir will be in the 21st century and advances the cause of digital filmmaker even more than "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." That film was pure eye candy, but "Sin City" is much too gritty to be that sweet. You are going to wince at some of what happens in this film and you might even turn away once or twice as the over the top violence hits you in the gut as hard as it hits some of the characters in the side of the head. But chances are you are going to love this movie to death.

Frank Miller's "Sin City" is a world where the heroes can take a whole series of punches as well as deliver them, where justice has nothing to do with either mercy or the cops, and the system is crooked from top down to pretty near the bottom of the barrel. The dames are still worth dying for and some of them might even be goddesses, but others can defend themselves quite well, thank you. This is a world where protecting women is hard-wired into the psyches of guys like John Hartigan (Bruce Willis), Marv (Mickey Rourke), and Dwight (Clive Owen). If you fail to protect a dame, then somebody has to pay and in a way that will make the scum bucket think Hell is heaven when you finally let them go there. This movie is rated R for sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialogue, but that is an R that is a lot closer to NC-17 than it is to PG-13.

Ang Lee tried to have parts of "The Hulk" look like a comic book, but that meant throwing several frames on the screen at the same time. But with "Sin City" director Robert Rodriguez knows that a comic book panel can be like a frame in a motion picture and visa-versa, so his solution was to embrace Miller's visual style and make him the co-director of the film (and give him a small role as a priest hearing his final confession). The "Sin City" were done largely in black and white, although sometimes white and black, and other times when the strategic addition of a single color as in the red of a woman's lips, the yellow of her hair, or the blue of her eyes. Sometimes the red is a cool looking car.

This is the bloodiest film noir of my experience, so it is a good thing that when there is a lot of blood is it just as likely to appear as bright white or neon yellow as globs of the red stuff. But it is also evokes more bursts of laughter at the audacious violence and the perfectly timed one-liners, most of which will never work uttered in Dirty Harry fashion out of the context of the film. This is film noir in the tradition of Mickey Spillane updated for the Quentin Tarantino generation.

The standout performance in "Sin City" is clearly Mickey Rourke as Marv, who is buried under so much makeup you keep assuring yourself that he is really in there somewhere. In keeping with the formula of the film Marv is both the most violent of the protagonists, giving taking somebody for a ride a whole new meaning, and the funniest, in both word and deed. Willis and Owen are both fine as the other two protagonists, but they are more the strong and silent types, neither as reflective nor as sardonic as Marv. Willis definitely has the world weary act honed down to perfection, but Owen seems a bit too mannered in his detachment in his story line and ends up finishing third in the hero sweepstakes. Elijah Wood as Kevin does not get to speak but still creeps you out as Frodo gone over to the Dark Side. Benicio Del Toro shows some nice comic timing as Jack Rafferty and Michael Madsen has not changed a bit as Bob, while Nick Stahl is scum of two different colors. Rutger Hauer, Powers Booth and Michael Clarke Duncan all take turns playing heavies and it becomes pretty clear Rodriguez could get just about anybody he wanted to do this movie.

Of the women of "Sin City" it is Devon Aoki as Miho who stands out although she never says a word (she does not have to). Jessica Alba's best moments as Nancy are silent, although there is a change in why that is the case as we go through the movie. Rosario Dawson has fun going over the top as Gail, Brittany Murphy goes slumming as Shellie, and Jaime King plays two sides of the same coin as Goldie and Wendy. Alexis Bledel is certainly trying to get as far away from Rory Gilmore as possible by playing Becky, but I am afraid she does not get far in that regard. Then again, if you have read Miller's graphic novels you will be impressed by how Rodriguez has brought the stark black and white images of Becky, Hartigan, the Yellow Bastard and the rest of them to life on the screen. This movie is going to make a ton of money, Miller is going to sell a lot of copies of the new editions of his "Sin City" graphic novels, and hopefully it will not be too long before we get the next cinematic installment, which should have Johnny Depp playing Wallace in the "To Hell and Back" segment.

Amazing experience in film
Genre: Action, Drama, Dark Comedy

Genre Grade: A

Final Grade: A

This was a spectacular movie with great achievements on all levels. Robert Rodriguez hasn't made a movie this good since From Dusk Till Dawn in 1996. However I think he has found an entirely new element and I hope he makes a sequel to this awesome flick soon.

I am not even going to comment on the amazing cinematography and style of this film because it's so obvious that it is top-notch. I will comment on the story though - a strong one that molds together to fit into a story that comes together in the end without ever confusing the audience as to what is going on and who is who. The dialogue seemed like it had been written by Tarantino himself, sticking to the classic, bold lines that make you grin and really root for the characters. Even Jessica Alba did a great job in her acting! I do wish Britney Murphy would have been in more of it, she is a great actress and so underrated, in my opinion. Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Benicio del Toro, and Mickey Rourke all did a great job with their characters as well.

Great movie, but definitely one to keep kids away from. It is extremely gruesome (not so bad since it's in black and white) and it steps across new boundaries in mainstream film. Think Silence of the Lambs meets Se7en meets classic crime drama, and you got Sin City. Great movie!!

Oh, and I found out which part of the film Tarantino directed. It's about a 3-4 minute sequence and once I found out it was quite obvious that it was Tarantino who had directed it. If ye want to know, ask and it shall be known to ye.

Oscar worthy
Sin city may have to be the best movie I have seen this year. In short the movie levels onto standars such as Spiderman2 and superman. Though Sin city does tend to exeel these movies by one point. The acting. Mikey Rouke steals the show as Marv, the hulkishthug whose main purpose is to find the killers of the love of his life, and give them some street justice. His story is compelling and very, very, violent. Well I take that back the most violent story would have to be Bruce Willis who plays Hartigan , a violent ex cop who wants to protect a stripper from his past misadventure that has her also involved, in this story line you actually see a mans testicles ripped off............actually that was...........god .........burr. Anyway overall all the stories are downright violent. There is one more but I would not want to intrude like I did before..
Now as for dvd news Rodrigues is giving out a threatical release and an extended release.
Also he will bring in more Sin city movies from now on, and will be planning to release a new one 2008 or 9, so get ready.
Yours trully
film critique of the week. ... Read more

Reviews (1388)

Quentin Tarantino's Tribute &...
The guy is very creative in displaying a story in a very original structure and media. Kill Bill is a cult movie fan's greatest dream come true. Everything is in there from good old Western Coybow movies to the cinema of the east slapped together. For the sterotypical "white" person who only consumes the blockbuster hits of what ever popoular trend is out, this movie may appear silly or confusing to a degree of laughter. Thats the beauty of this movie, it shows us which movie watchers are out there. In the theaters I caught a lot of white people laughing at the asian sequences of the film and they were also dumbfounded by the special appearances of the actors from Wild Zero, Ichi the Killer, Battle Royale, and Suicide Circle to name a few. (i was hoping to see Tekashi Kitano) The only special appearnce of a star they would know is "David carra..whats his name...? the guys from that Kung-Fu show...yeah." A lot of people failed to see the element of honor that was displayed in both films between characters which was a very beautiful element. The action sequences were directed very well so that it made up for a lot of the actor martial arts flaws such as akward positions and hyper extended punches, so there are little moments killed.

One sad thing though is that Kill Bill Vol.2 had a trailer for the 2002 film HERO, which is now going to hit theaters here that did it injustes. They stated that the movie was presented by Quentin Tarantino, but I've overheard many reactions of people thinking that it is directed by Quentin Tarantino rather than the truth (Zhang Yimou). Plus the trailer gave the art film a false representation of an epic war film, many may be disapointed. So are movies like Kill Bill building bridges with Hollywood and Asia or are they just going to jokingly stereotype Asian films and cuture in an unfair way? Fans and crowds shall tell in time.

Oh and by the way, I don't want to sound like "white" people are not cool, I use the term "white" for the typical stereotyping day by day american. As far as stereotypes go, sometimes people enjoy becoming part of it and making it obviously true. I look forward to one day the stereotypes are non existant and everyhting in around our lives is understood for what it is and not what it looks like on the surface.

Maiming and decapitation are never fun. Until now...
Oh, the joy of being a movie geek. This year has been a tremendous blessing for all of the human race, or just us film fanatics, as the movie gods have listened to all our prayers to deliver cinematic goodness. One of these that came as a major grace is called "Kill Bill: Volume One", the latest offering from the dark, perverted but brilliant mind of Quentin Tarantino. Last seen under the spotlight in 1997 with "Jackie Brown", we have been painfully awaiting his next move throughout a six-year-span. Well, time finally came upon us and the wait is definitely worth it.

Appropriately entitled "Kill Bill", Tarantino tells a simple revenge story, albeit through his usual non-linear storytelling structure, about a lanky blonde woman (played by the invigorating Uma Thurman) only known as "The Bride" a.k.a. "Black Mamba" who wakes up from a coma to exact revenge on her former assassin group called "The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad" lead by Bill (David Carradine), who aren't really happy of her decision to quit and marry someone in El Paso, Texas. Hence, bloody carnage ensues as Bill and the gang made of eclectic members-Budd, Vernita Green, Elle Driver and Oren-Ishii-massacres The Bride's family and guests on her wedding day, including her unborn baby. Bill saves her for last and shoots her head (on what could be one of the most startling introductions in a movie). Thinking that she's dead, they leave her cold in her blood-splattered wedding dress, which is a terrible mistake on their part, as The Bride gets up from her hospital bed after four years with furious determination and will to destroy every single one of the perpetrators, saving the best for last, which is, of course, Bill, proving that as far as justice goes, it can easily get very poetic.

However, this is only half of the story, as Miramix, the film distributor, and Tarantino himself decided to cut the three-hour long movie in half and released them four months apart. That being said, I am very sure that Volume Two will be as equally brutal and vigorously entertaining to what I've seen four times in the theaters (Yes, four times! It's that good!)

"Kill Bill: Volume One" is perhaps the most violent American movie ever (and I've seen a lot of movies). It can be easily be used as an example of how the morals of the Western world have dramatically fallen in the 21st century. But it's most important to know that this movie was made as an ode to those rare, odd, cheesy and absurd kung-fu, Western, exploitation, slasher and grindhouse movies we usually see gathering dust in the cult section of a video store or occasionally seen playing on television at 3 in the morning. Kill Bill: Volume One on the surface looks like a very empty fluff made to only shock the already seemingly desensitized viewers, but underneath, it is really a very intelligent piece of art. Intelligent in a sense that it knows the rules of the cinema: it knows it audiences are and doesn't give a damn thing or two to those who don't want to get involved. For instance, The Bride wears a yellow jumpsuit during the last hour of the movie. To the uninitiated, it's just a striking sexy vintage number. To those in the know, it's a replica of Bruce Lee's tracking jumpsuit from his 1979 movie Game of Death. And this is just only a fraction of Tarantino's endless references, in-jokes and homages to old and obscure cinema. From Brian DePalma to Godzilla, from giallo films to Japanese animations, God knows what else are there he injected. I say this movie is an entire pop culture of pop culture.

Even without this quality, it's still deliciously entertaining, boldly creative and visually arresting, it's safe to say that this is an instant classic. No, this is not an Oscar-winning movie, let alone be nominated. But not everything has to have a deep storyline with complex characters to be a great film. This movie has no substance and as empty as a dead shell. But it's an amazingly great film, nonetheless. The fact of the matter is that Tarantino made this with great respect, love and passion of the medium, that he practically utilizes everything to its full advantage from complicated camera shots (the long tracking shot of The Bride going to the washroom is incredible), beautiful cinematography (the claustrophobic and filthy Hospital environment, the beautifully exotic and bright Japanese backdrop), the amazing eclectic selections of music (from Nancy Sinatra's "Bang, Bang" to "The Green Hornet" theme song) and the excellently choreographed fight scenes as if we're watching an amazing, exhausting ballet dance with swords. Oh yeah, and the beautiful gushing of the blood and gore like water coming down from Niagara Falls.

"Kill Bill: Volume One" is an extravagant, highly-stylized, ultra-energized, uber-violent piece of celluloid. It's made up of a world were grativity is without law, violence is sheer poetry, pissed-off Caucasian women likes to play with samura swords, and even assassins have feelings. It's a world where obscure 1970's disco music goes perfectly seamless along with the motion of decapitation and maiming.

Oh what fun!

Aside from that movie that left me with tears featuring hobbits and wizards and that fetus-looking boy-fish who seems to say the word "Precciooooooussssss...." a lot, this year belongs to Kill Bill: Volume One (and I cannot wait for Volume 2!)

Thank you, Tarantino for your sick and twisted mind.

great movie
i loved this film! great STYLE, great action, great story. and very funny. i loved the use of zamfir's famous tune for the samurai scene! it's a delicious homage (or parody?!) of various genres - japanese samurai (esp kurosawa), chinese kung fu, american spaghetti westerns. wonderful.

HOLLYWOOD Tarantino??
Great movie I have to say, paying respect to crazy asian cinema. My only gripe is Uma Therman being in the movie. I would have like to see Quinten dig up and unknown actor or maybe some B movie or expoitation actress. And although I like Lucy Lu I can think of a hundred different asian actresses that would have fit the role better. ANyway, great movie! If you like this movie check out any movie by Takashi Miike like: Iche the Killer, Dead or Alive, Dead or Alive 2, Dead or Alive Final, Audition, Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl.... any one of these movies makes KILL BILL look like a Walt Disney film!!

5 stars for SONNY CHIBA and GORDAN LEU!!!!!
I just saw this movie on DVD after not getting a chance to see this in the theaters. 5 stars for Gordan Leu and Sonny Chiba!! Awsome to see these 2 great legends of asian cinema! I remember seeing Gorden Leu as a kid from just about EVERY great Shaw Bros. kung fu flick! And Sonny Chiba? ..... Cmon! The Japanese James Bond!? Excellent casting. Great flick!! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

There are three subtitle modes
Actually there are two subtitles, full english captioning and just the translated subtitles, the modes are Subtitle Off, Engligh 1, and English 2.

And the aspect ratio is actually letterboxed in 2.35:1 instead of the standard PSP widescreen, so I don't know what is being misprepresented. I've heard more people complain that it is in its original widescreen and not formatted to fill the PSP screen (Spider-Man 2 for example actually was cropped from 2.35:1 down to the PSP's screen size).

This is a great UMD, it has great looking animated menus, it actually HAS a scene selection menu, and it has extras too, a Making Of video and music videos. Compared to the rest of the UMD pack this disc is a feature packed jewel.

Looks and works great, but...
It looks and works great on the PSP, but my only complaint is that there is only two subtitle modes: All off, or all English on. In the DVD version there was an option to translate (display) only the Japanese words and not the English ones. Otherwise, a good buy if you want a great movie on the go.

Do not buy this UMD
Put everything else you have against UMD's aside for the moment (sparse extras, poor video and sound by comparison to DVD's, and insane pricing) and realize what a half-assed product this is. Kill Bill is a fantastic film that was sorely screwed over in its UMD conversion. Not only is the 2.35:1 aspect ratio incredibly misrepresented on the PSP, which means you lose a large amount of the picture on each side of the screen, but you're not even getting the complete director's cut. It's still the edited version. Since the director's cut will be out on DVD in only a few months time, there's a good chance they'll re-release the UMD again as well. And fairly soon at that I'm sure. It'll just prove to be a bigger waste of money for those of you complaining that this format is already expensive enough as it is.

price, not that big of an issue
the price isnt much higher than dvd's, and converting a movie to umd format, you can't expect it to be cheaper i mean come on...... and the quality is just as good as dvd's, if not better.

the shipping is great
i think you should have a selection of movies and ask the customer which regional psp they are getting then it will work i have 2 PSP's one american and one japanise so if i buy the any rejion UMD DVD it will work but most of i will recomend u guys definetly!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (257)

Volume 2 Delivers The Goods (4 Stars)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 might have been action driven and fast paced, but Vol. 2 was not. The slower pace made room for better focus on dialogue though. There are still great fight scenes, but not as many as there were in the first movie. Tarantino hit his stride with this movie. Die hard fans should go out and see it. The movie is two and a half hours long, but it's totally worth sitting through. There are great new characters (most notably Pei Mei) and it does a great job of filling in the holes that were left in Vol. 1(like Uma's screen name). Memorable scenes would be Uma Thurman being buried alive and her fight with Elle Driver in the trailer home. Easily one of the best fight scenes ever. Then there's Bill, played by David Carradine. He was probably the most engaging character in the whole movie. While I was disappointed in the way he died, it totally made sense. Overall, Kill Bill Vol. 2 definitely meets all expectations with its great dialogue and awesome fight scenes. Be warned though, the fight scenes aren't as fast and furious as the first movie. Nor are there as many. But that's not bad because it plays to Tarantino's strength: dialogue. If you liked Vol. 1 or if you're into karate flicks, you'll love Vol. 2. But if you didn't like Vol. 1, you'll like Vol. 2 even less.

Better than Vol. 1
If cinema is ever in need of edgy freshness, then Charlie Kaufman is the man to turn to. But when that need arises and has to be fused with humorously offbeat style then Quentin Tarantino is the Kaufman of directors. Or is Kaufman really the Tarantino of aspiring writers? It doesn't matter. In any case, what truly matters is that Tarantino continues to inject that richly abnormal talent of his into his latest piece "Kill Bill: Volume 2."

Four years after being betrayed by her former boss Bill (David Carradine) and shot in the head at her wedding, The Bride (Uma Thurman) wakes up from her coma and thirsts for revenge. After dispatching Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren (Lucy Liu) in "Volume 1," this previously retired assassin is back in "Volume 2" to finish off the rest of Bill's Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and ultimately, kill Bill.

"Volume 2" is definitely the heart of the two movies. Saturated with intense fighting scenes "Volume 1" ended with a bitter sweetness as The Bride seemed completely undeveloped as a character. But "Volume 2" complements the first movie nicely as the action takes the passenger seat and Tarantino concentrates on storytelling, fleshing out The Bride's character. There's actually emotional depth involved now, revealing The Bride's relationship with Bill as well as her motives for leaving an assassin's life.

Thurman is wonderful as The Bride, playing along with Tarantino's take on Hollywood cheesiness to executing some intense dialogue scenes that transition between emotions within seconds. Tarantino is obviously extracting all the skills he can from Thurman, and the end result is worth every squeeze: she pulls off acrobatic feats and heavy dialogue in the same two hours with seamless changeovers.

Carradine also does such a marvelous job of portraying Bill to the point that it becomes frightening. Carradine's subtleties are what form this character and by the end of it all it becomes clear just how insane of a character Bill is: he philosophizes about death while making sandwiches and questions past relationships with a menacing sword in hand. The low and relaxed tone that he carries through the movie makes it feel like Carradine isn't even playing anyone, he's just slipping this character on like an old, comfortable shirt.

But it's not just the characters that make Kill Bill so special. The first installment is wonderful in paying tribute to Japanese anime, folksy spaghetti westerns and an overall homage to "old school" Asian kung fu flicks. Tarantino again draws various sources from 70's pop culture to showcase the quirks of "Volume 2." Whereas the first movie displays Tarantino's knowledge of Asian cinema with wire-wearing kung fu, with unrealistic squirting samurai-movie colored blood included, "Volume 2" solidifies that homage to the full extent.

Perhaps the single greatest movie moment of 2004 is in "The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei," the film's chapter in which the origin of The Bride's abilities is discovered. Tarantino brings out all the stops on this one. From the stereotyped supercilious personality to the superficial white facial hair, the character of kung fu master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) is the absolute embodiment of a 70's Chinese kung fu flick. After this scene, it's obvious that Tarantino is on the edge of oddball insanity, right there with brilliance on the other side.

Like the chapter of Pai Mei, the rest of Tarantino's film combines everything campy and corny with his bizarre sense of direction. And everything rationally ridiculous here somehow ends up as abnormally gorgeous.

Superb second chapter
A radiant bride-to-be (and mother-to-be) who calls herself Arlene takes a few minutes out of her wedding rehearsal to talk to her former boss (and ex-lover) about the peaceful new life she's planned. She tells him she'll be working in a record store where she'll get to "listen to music all day, talk about music all day. It's really cool. It's going to be a great environment for my little girl to grow up in."

"As opposed to jetting around the world, killing human beings, collecting vast sums of money?" her one-time employer asks.

Yes, Arlene is actually The Bride (Uma Thurman), a.k.a. Black Mamba, one of the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad (D.I.V.A.S., for short). And, yes, the man with whom she's sharing her future plans is Bill, the enigmatic, shadowy D.I.V.A.S. commander who never showed his face in "Kill Bill, Vol. 1."

Bill, played to diabolical perfection by David Carradine, is visible throughout "Kill Bill, Vol. 2," and that's only one of the many changes between the first and last installments of writer-director Quentin Tarantino's epic saga of revenge and retribution. "Vol. 1," which took place largely in Japan, was a magnificently gory, almost operatic homage to the Hong Kong and Japanese cinema of the 1960s and 1970s; "Vol. 2," set primarily in Texas and Mexico, is considerably more controlled -- although no less stylish -- and moodier, paying tribute to the unconventional Westerns of director Sergio Leone and, in its black-and-white flashback sequences, recalling such late-1940s/early-1950s thrillers as "Gun Crazy" and "The Big Heat."

No one ever accused Tarantino of being shy when it comes to laying out his catalog of influences.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson's all-seeing camera swoops, slithers and moves stealthily around each scene, just like our unstoppable heroine, then throws in some extreme close-ups that feel like a fist between the eyes. Editor Sally Menke and production designers David Wasco and Cao Jui Ping do wonderful work as they recreate everything from "In Cold Blood" to the washed-out-looking, jumpy Chinese chop-socky films of the 1970s.

But far from being merely imitative, "Vol. 2" features a few breakthroughs for its creator as well. A prolonged sequence involving a character who is pummeled, drugged and buried alive is one of the most gripping episodes of Tarantino's career, and The Bride's apprenticeship to merciless martial arts master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu), a deceptively wispy-looking type with a strong chauvinistic streak, is outrageously hilarious. "Your so-called kung fu is really quite pathetic," Pai Mei taunts as The Bride tries -- and fails -- to impress him with her moves. "Like all Yankee women, all you can do is order in restaurants and spend a man's money!"

The finale of "Vol. 1" was a blood-drenched, wickedly hilarious free-for-all, with The Bride dispatching scores of would-be hitmen in a showdown in a Tokyo nightclub, but the last half-hour of "Vol. 2" is a shocker of an entirely different kind, as Tarantino aims for the heart instead of the funnybone. He tried something somewhat similar in the bittersweet wrap-up of "Jackie Brown," with mixed results. He's much more successful this time out, partly because he's created a steadier build-up to the crucial emotional crescendo (set to a marvelously trippy remix of The Zombies' "She's Not There") and partly because the tension Carradine and Thurman generate in the pivotal scene, as bloodlust collides with memories of happier days, is utterly riveting.

Tarantino's cast fills out a classic rogues' gallery, dominated by Carradine's Bill, a psychotic who conceals his sadism beneath a calm, paternalistic exterior. Daryl Hannah's one-eyed Elle Driver and Michael Madsen's Budd, both of whom were briefly seen in "Vol. 1," get ample opportunity to prove their worth as antagonists of The Bride. The face-off with Elle, in particular, is so delightfully demented only Tarantino could have conjured it up.

Was the director wise in turning "Bill" into a double-bill? Absolutely. For one thing, he must have realized he had made an extravaganza that would have been too intense and certainly too emotionally exhausting for most audiences to process in a single four-hour sitting. Also, he obviously knew he had a second half that would be well worth the six-month wait.

"Gargantuan -- always liked that word; so rarely have a chance to use it in a sentence," the icy-hearted Elle murmurs at one point. Try this on for size: The frenzied, funny and unabashedly ultraviolent "Kill Bill" saga represents a gargantuan achievement in action cinema.

Can a movie possibly get any better than this?
First I'd like to say that Quentin Tarantino is the best film maker that ever lived period. I would say that KILL BILL VOL. 2 is the greatest film since Casablanca. This is by far my favorite of Quentin Tarantino's films. This is a must own Dvd. Buy this awesome mind-blowing classic movie today.

This movie should not be see by the stupid ones
YES YES MAN I THOUGT THAT THERE WAS NOT TOO MUCH STORY BEHIND THE 1ST VOL IT WAS GREAT BUT SOMETHING WAS MISSING IT WAS THE AWESOME STORY OF THE 2ND. IS LIKE WATCHING A SPAGHETI WESTERN BY SERGIO LEONE BUT BEING DRUNK.BUT STILL I DONT KNOW HOW SOME PEOPLE TALK SO MUCH CRAP ABOUT THE 2ND VOL.IS PROBABLY THAT THEY MISSED THE POINT THAT IS VERY SAD MAN.THAT'S WHY THIS MOVIE IS NOT SUITED FOR THE DUMBASSES.WHEN YOU SEE THIS VOL YOU WILL DEICIDE IF YOU ARE A TRUE TARANTINO FAN!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (557)

Powerhouse film will enhance your DVD collection
I will admit to being a huge fan of Pulp Fiction from my first 10 minutes into the theater and getting yanked by my shirt colllar into the story and not being released until the final credit rolled. OK, so I'm biased.

BUT...it's not without well-earned bias. This movie easily qualified as an instant classic. The story is top notch, even though it comes in several different, smaller packages, Tarantino earns his directing stripes in effortlessly taking these seemingly random tales and believably weaving them all together. The acting/casting doesn't leave any stone unturned (It's Uma Thurman's best performance to date, Samuel Jackson WAS the best supporting actor winner that year, even if they didn't give him the trophy. Even Willis demonstrates some wicked acting chops in a beautifully understated performance. Christopher Walken, too, provides the most satisfying and memorable cameo!), and even the choppy editing style works.

Casual movie lovers will enjoy this as just a great film. Movie fanatics will love this DVD for the satisfying extras it provides.

Too good a DVD for you to pass up!

"Saved by a miracle of God..."
You know what, some people say that this movie sucks because it is way too hard to follow in story. I don't believe a word of that. The first time I watched the movie I wasn't a bit confused about this movie's un-cohesive plot.

This movie is reminiscent of the Pulp comics and magazines from yester-year, with it's high octane violence, graphic depiction of drugs, and of course...sex.

What I personally liked about Pulp was that characters can enter or exit the movie at anytime without much explanation. One minute you see John Travolta...next minute he is blown to bits by a M-16 machine gun. No questions asked.

Quentin definitely establishes that he knows what he doing, with unique camera angles, sparkling script, and wonderful acting...some of it done by the master himself!

I reccomend anyone watch this movie. It's completely awesome if you can handle the content.

oh yeah. "saved by a miracle of God" refers to a memorable line by Samuel L Jackson who plays a hitman that is convinced that the reason he survived near death is beacuse God's mighty hand came down and stopped the bullets. He soon quits his profession while on the other hand John Travolta stays...and we all know what happens to him! heh heh heh heh heh heh

Quentin Tarantino's best before Kill Bill
This classic by Quentin Tarantino was the first ultra-violent movie and it was fantastically well executed. An American Independent movie at its best.

The Most Fun You'll Have Watching A Movie!!
From the beginning five minutes of two people planning on holding up a diner, you know you're in for some fun. This is Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino's undisputed masterpiece. Simply put, a genius rollercoast ride from beginning to end. With a large list of stars, including Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman in some of their greatest performances to date.

The movie is broken up into three stories, all revolving around two hitmen (Jackson, Travolta), a mob boss's wife (Thurman), a boxer planing on retiring (Willis), and a mysterious breifcase, this fast paced film is probably one of the greatest action films EVER. The dialogue is what you would expect from Tarantino, with plenty of funny but memorable lines that you will remember forever.

With a die-hard cast, a chaotic but focused storyline, and an unbelievable soundtrack, including the classic "Miserlou" by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, this film is definately Tarantino's funniest, most violent, and most fun romp to date, and one of the top ten greatest films ever! See it and you will not regret it.

awsome
this is one of the must see crime movies. very funny and never dull. great acting. not actually that hard to follow like some reviewers say. there are not that many jumps between time. the dvd is great. ... Read more

Reviews (167)

Dynamite Cast + Good Fun = Excellent Film
First off: "Jackie Brown" is not a disappointment. After the surprise success of Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" in 1994, everyone was looking for him to fail on his next attempt. Sorry, friends, but this just isn't the case. In many ways, "Jackie Brown" is a more enjoyable ride. After repeated viewings of "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs," one can easily pinpoint the weaknesses in Tarantino's style. He uses similar references to '70s action and blaxploitation films, he uses relic music hits from the same era, and he even uses similar character names (Marvin with no ear, meet Marvin with no head). The violence is always there, and the incessant use of profanity is always there. But "Jackie Brown" is different from these previous efforts. There's no appearances by either Harvey Keitel or Tim Roth; instead, the film is headlined by the queen of the '70s blaxploitation flicks, the eternally sexy Pam Grier. The supporting cast includes Robert Forster, a staple of cheesy B-movies, Samuel L. Jackson in a return to the world of Tarantino, and the very interesting threesome of Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda, and the ever-versatile De Niro to round out the cast. So what, besides the cast, makes the film such a knockout? While the profanity level has been toned down, Tarantino's script loses no edge and maintains a constant freshness and sense of humor. Grier has never been much of an actress, but she's always had a certain charm, and she uses this charm effectively in "Jackie Brown." Forster gives his most memorable performance here, playing the role of Max Cherry with complete control and positive cool. Fonda is great as Melanie, and Keaton has a blast playing ATF agent Ray Nicolet, but De Niro steals the show as Louis Gara. De Niro has one of his better supporting roles here, and he makes the most of it. Louis is something of a dimwit, but only De Niro could inject the character with as much humor as he has here. The film, at 154m, is probably too long and overindulgent, but Tarantino presents us with an interesting plot, and some equally interesting subplots to boot. The most effective of these is the relationship that builds between Grier and Forster; there is an attraction there, but the insecurities of each character prevents this from ever reaching a climax. The film is colorful, has solid (but not brilliant) direction, and, aside from some serious lapses in logic, the script flows seamlessly. And guess what? There's no guest appearance by the man himself, who must have realized after "From Dusk Till Dawn" that, while he may be a writer and a director, and actor he is not. "Jackie Brown" reveals the limitations of Quentin Tarantino, but the film is still a riot, and one of the most entertaining of 1997. That's more than I can say for James Cameron's "Titanic," which fails on all levels for me, despite what the critics say. "Jackie Brown" delivers a knockout punch. It's great to see that some Elmore Leonard novels are finally getting the big-screen treatments that they deserve.

Fond-a Weapons
Jackie Brown: rated R, 2 hours and 40 minutes

Jackie Brown is an incredibly well played movie about guns, drugs, and money. Half a million in cash is up for grabs, and the only way to obtain it is by figuring out who is playing whom.
When Jackie (a stunning Pam Grier) is caught at an airport carrying a veritably large sum of money and a bag of crack, the outline of the story is formed. Jackie is held in custody facing possible time in prison, when the deceptive Ordell, played by black talking Samuel L. Jackson steps into the picture. Ordell hires an honest bailbondsman, Max Cherry, to release Ms. Brown. While Ordell takes care of business, we see behind-the-scenes conversations between the spaced out Robert De Niro, as Lewis, and the dim-witted Bridget Fonda, as Melanie, two of Ordell's main connections. Jackie becomes caught between two sides, both with equal objectives. Ray (Michael Keaton), the cop that apprehended Jackie earlier is after small time arms dealer, Ordell, and Ordell is pulling Jackie into his scheme of acquiring the cash. Meanwhile, Lewis and Melanie have their own plans of taking the money. Jackie can't afford to get into any more legal trouble, and if she doesn't cooperate with the man she owes her freedom to, she will be killed, which sets the stage for the perfect swindle.
Quentin Tarantino, creator of Jackie Brown, is master of 'film noir', and adds an interesting perspective to one scene in particular. Jackie is forced by the feds to frame Ordell, and according to Ordell, she is supposed to double-cross them. Caught in the middle, Jackie must fake an exchange of marked bills, in order to seem loyal to both. The switch is shown through three different viewpoints, adding greatly to the effect. The first time, Jackie is shown leaving the bag of money in a dressing room. Next, Lewis and Melanie are shown actually making the exchange, with the real bag of money left behind in the dressing room, and a suspicious Max Cherry watching. Lastly, Max Cherry watches as Lewis and Melanie swap bags, and the actual bag of cash left for him to pick up. By doing this, the big picture is seen through bits and pieces. Tarantino deserves much credit for its ingenious execution, and Jackie Brown in its entirety is recognized as a success, with phenomenal acting by the whole cast, primarily Pam Grier.

Great! Awesome! Fantastic!
Nobody and I mean nobody makes movies like Quentin Tarantino. JACKIE BROWN is one of the greatest movies of all time. Personally, This is my favorite of Quentin Tarantino's films. So get your copy of JACKIE BROWN today!

Not bad, De Niro is fun
Jackie Brown is certainly not Tarantino's best but it is amusing. As in pretty much every movie Samuel L Jackson plays a pretty important part as a gunrunner. He lives in a LA house with the very hot Bridget Fonda. A friend who just came out of jail lives with him and helps him. This is absolutely the funniest character in the movie, played by De Niro. He is a little dumb, lazy and slow but funnily played.

Key to the movie is Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, the smartest person in the movie because she can play both sides, the feds and the criminals and ends up with a lot of dough.

Not a super movie and with 150 minutes definitely too long, but still fun.

Not quite PULP FICTION, but certainly worthy Tarantino
I love Quentin Tarantino. You watch him speak about his art in interviews, and while I realize what I'm responding to might simply be a cleverly-wrought public persona, his energy and enthusiasm for his craft is just so infectious that one cannot help but be energized too. That energy certainly carries over into his movies, and while he may not be the most thrillingly visual director, his undeniable gift for dialogue more than compensates in his films.

PULP FICTION, as of now, is my favorite movie; the dialogue sparkles with wit, and I could hear those lines over and over again without ever getting tired of them. JACKIE BROWN, his follow-up to PF, is just as good as PF, if not quite its superior. Many complained upon its release that this movie was too sluggish and slow-moving (the above Editorial Review calls it "decaffeinated"). Sure, the plot of this movie certainly could become a taut, exciting thriller under another director's hands. But clearly writer-director Tarantino isn't aiming merely for action-movie thrills. He is also focused on his characters, particularly with the two older characters, Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) and Max Cherry (Robert Forster), two characters who have an unspoken attraction to each other that brings an intriguing undertone to a majority of the crime story. If Tarantino takes his time developing his characters and laying out the plot...well, the characters' dialogue is consistently full of life; the characters are interesting (and the performances terrific across the board, particuarly Forster's); and the convoluted plot, when it kicks into high gear, is a source of fascination as well. Watching it, I hardly ever felt that it was too slow for its own good: I was too fascinated by what I was seeing and hearing to notice any possible deficiencies in pacing. (Another Elmore Leonard adaptation, Steven Soderbergh's OUT OF SIGHT, took a similarly leisurely approach to its crime plot, and it worked just as well in that film, too.)

In short, JACKIE BROWN is an underrated Tarantino masterpiece. It may not be quite the film PULP FICTION is (since it had a more palpably energetic feel to it, despite both films' running 154 minutes), but it is certainly a worthy follow-up. ... Read more

Reviews (92)

All in all, pretty lousy
Only the most die-hard Tim Roth fans will want to sit through this whole movie. Too bad the last two segments (I think they're the last two, anyway) are the only ones even remotely worth watching; that means you have to sit through the first two to get to them. Thank God for fast-forward!
The one with Madonna in it is about witches, and the only thing you can say about it is that it makes witches look like the most boring possible subject matter in the universe. Plus it stars Madonna. 'Nuff said.
Then there's one about a wife and her husband, with one of them tied to a chair or something. This one was so bad, I can't even remember anything else about it. And I only watched it three days ago! What does that tell you?
Thankfully, just when you're begging for someone to shut it off, along comes the third segment, a hilarious little film about two naughty children and the bellhop (Roth, who appears in each segment) who is bribed to keep an eye on them. When the source of the mysterious odor in the room is discovered, Roth's reaction almost justifies the whole movie's existence. I was still laughing hours later.
The last segment, by spoiled Hollywood wonderchild Quentin Tarantino, is okay. It has his trademark crackling dialogue (of course), and Q.T. has some fun with his own image. But too bad the entire segment itself is just one long, sick, unfunny joke.
Making this movie was not a very good idea, and the results were predictably foul. Even the always-enjoyable Roth seems out of place and you kind of feel sorry for him. But at least the "Misbehavers" segment, all by itself, redeems the experience. Almost.

Definitely not for everyone
If you are a hardcore Tarrantino fan, you'll probably like this. If you are a reserved, serious person, you probably won't. Pretty simple huh? Maybe not...

I'll break it down room by room. The first room is sort of just to give us the happy "Ted scored" feeling. Sometimes I'd really rather fast forward through this, as the script is sort of silly in this room. But overall, I've seen a lot worse, and remember, we're not taking this film seriously right?

The second room is the mistaken identity room that really shows off Tim Roth's ability to act. I have read other reviews that say he is horrible in this. I disagree completely. You can see every emotion the character feels pass across his face, which makes it very humorous. Jennifer Beals does a good job in this section, but like a lot of dialogue in Tarrantino films, you get the strict, rigid scripted feeling. In other words, the actors spit out this long line of gibberish that noone would really say in real life. People have to take the time to come up with these types of speeches.

The third room is probably the best, if not a little bit disturbing. I think everyone did a good job in this section, especially Tim Roth when he was aggravated by the children.

The fourth room seems to be plagued by bad acting. In my opinion, only Willis and Roth do a good job. Tarrantino is frightfully bad in his dialogue, and that scripted feeling comes back stronger than ever. Meanwhile, you'd be hard pressed to believe that anyone besides Willis is drunk. I think it was a bad case of overacting on the part of the others. Overall, its still worth watching, and the movie is great if for no other reason than Tim Roth (who is terrific in everything he is in -- See The Muskateer, as his acting is the only thing making the movie worthwhile).

Pulp Fiction(downtoned) + Kill Bill(downtoned)=Four Rooms
i love this movie i thought it was quite enjoyable.Tim Roth cracks me up when i watched this(his performance reminded me a lot of charlie chaplin) especially when he just walks and talks its quite strange but it was a great movie that i think any tarintino viewer would enjoy.

Not bad, and stop blaming Madonna!
With 4 directors and a cast of over 20 actors {all talented}, this movie was bound to flop. Antonio Banderez makes a great appearance and Madonna and Quentin Terentino {and} Bruce Willis were good too. The script seems confusing, the directors all have completely different views and styles, so it's confusing. But it is still funny, the bellhopper was excellent, really funny guy. Madonna, who was only in the first fifteen minutes, was blamed for the badness of the movie, stop hating just because she's one of the only people in this movie who don't cuss up a storm and stay fresh and to the point! And as for Quentin, it was a nice cameo, but you're a lot better behind the camera...

rather keep your good money
The more this Tarantino guy attempts to be sophisticated, the worse he fails. This inexplicably overrated, clumsy effort is even worse than Pulp Fiction. Packed with violence and poor taste, it sticks out like a sore thumb for its total lack of talent, humour, ideas. The film equivalent of a crapburger with 200 chili peppers (expired, too), it lets the amazingly childish ego of its director transpire from its every pore. And I don't tolerate such yobbo in my private living room. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With the knockout one-two punch of 1992's Reservoir Dogs and 1994's Pulp Fiction writer-director Quentin Tarantino stunned the filmmaking world, exploding into prominence as a cinematic heavyweight contender. But Pulp Fiction was more than just the follow-up to an impressive first feature, or the winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, or a script stuffed with the sort of juicy bubblegum dialogue actors just love to chew, or the vehicle that reestablished John Travolta on the A-list, or the relatively low-budget ($8 million) independent showcase for an ultrahip mixture of established marquee names and rising stars from the indie scene (among them Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Julia Sweeney, Kathy Griffin, and Phil Lamar). It was more, even, than an unprecedented $100-million-plus hit for indie distributor Miramax. Pulp Fiction was a sensation. No, it was not the Second Coming (I actually think Reservoir Dogs is a more substantial film; and P.T. Anderson outdid Tarantino in 1997 by making his directorial debut with two even more mature and accomplished pictures, Hard Eight and Boogie Nights). But Pulp Fiction packs so much energy and invention into telling its nonchronologically interwoven short stories (all about temptation, corruption, and redemption amongst modern criminals, large and small) it leaves viewers both exhilarated and exhausted--hearts racing and knuckles white from the ride. (Oh, and the infectious, surf-guitar-based soundtrack is tastier than a Royale with Cheese.) --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (557)

Powerhouse film will enhance your DVD collection
I will admit to being a huge fan of Pulp Fiction from my first 10 minutes into the theater and getting yanked by my shirt colllar into the story and not being released until the final credit rolled. OK, so I'm biased.

BUT...it's not without well-earned bias. This movie easily qualified as an instant classic. The story is top notch, even though it comes in several different, smaller packages, Tarantino earns his directing stripes in effortlessly taking these seemingly random tales and believably weaving them all together. The acting/casting doesn't leave any stone unturned (It's Uma Thurman's best performance to date, Samuel Jackson WAS the best supporting actor winner that year, even if they didn't give him the trophy. Even Willis demonstrates some wicked acting chops in a beautifully understated performance. Christopher Walken, too, provides the most satisfying and memorable cameo!), and even the choppy editing style works.

Casual movie lovers will enjoy this as just a great film. Movie fanatics will love this DVD for the satisfying extras it provides.

Too good a DVD for you to pass up!

"Saved by a miracle of God..."
You know what, some people say that this movie sucks because it is way too hard to follow in story. I don't believe a word of that. The first time I watched the movie I wasn't a bit confused about this movie's un-cohesive plot.

This movie is reminiscent of the Pulp comics and magazines from yester-year, with it's high octane violence, graphic depiction of drugs, and of course...sex.

What I personally liked about Pulp was that characters can enter or exit the movie at anytime without much explanation. One minute you see John Travolta...next minute he is blown to bits by a M-16 machine gun. No questions asked.

Quentin definitely establishes that he knows what he doing, with unique camera angles, sparkling script, and wonderful acting...some of it done by the master himself!

I reccomend anyone watch this movie. It's completely awesome if you can handle the content.

oh yeah. "saved by a miracle of God" refers to a memorable line by Samuel L Jackson who plays a hitman that is convinced that the reason he survived near death is beacuse God's mighty hand came down and stopped the bullets. He soon quits his profession while on the other hand John Travolta stays...and we all know what happens to him! heh heh heh heh heh heh

Quentin Tarantino's best before Kill Bill
This classic by Quentin Tarantino was the first ultra-violent movie and it was fantastically well executed. An American Independent movie at its best.

The Most Fun You'll Have Watching A Movie!!
From the beginning five minutes of two people planning on holding up a diner, you know you're in for some fun. This is Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino's undisputed masterpiece. Simply put, a genius rollercoast ride from beginning to end. With a large list of stars, including Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman in some of their greatest performances to date.

The movie is broken up into three stories, all revolving around two hitmen (Jackson, Travolta), a mob boss's wife (Thurman), a boxer planing on retiring (Willis), and a mysterious breifcase, this fast paced film is probably one of the greatest action films EVER. The dialogue is what you would expect from Tarantino, with plenty of funny but memorable lines that you will remember forever.

With a die-hard cast, a chaotic but focused storyline, and an unbelievable soundtrack, including the classic "Miserlou" by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, this film is definately Tarantino's funniest, most violent, and most fun romp to date, and one of the top ten greatest films ever! See it and you will not regret it.

awsome
this is one of the must see crime movies. very funny and never dull. great acting. not actually that hard to follow like some reviewers say. there are not that many jumps between time. the dvd is great. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere (i.e., a video store in Manhattan Beach, California) and turned Hollywood on its ear in 1992 with his explosive first feature, Reservoir Dogs.Like Tarantino's mainstream breakthrough Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs has an unconventional structure, cleverly shuffling back and forth in time to reveal details about the characters, experienced criminals who know next to nothing about each other.Joe (Lawrence Tierney) has assembled them to pull off a simple heist, and has gruffly assigned them color-coded aliases (Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink, Mr. White) to conceal their identities from being known even to each other.But something has gone wrong, and the plan has blown up in their faces. One by one, the surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse hideout. There, they try to piece together the chronology of this bloody fiasco--and to identify the traitor among them who tipped off the police. Pressure mounts, blood flows, accusations and bullets fly. In the combustible atmosphere these men are forced to confront life-and-death questions of trust, loyalty, professionalism, deception, and betrayal. As many critics have observed, it is a movie about "honor among thieves" (just as Pulp Fiction is about redemption, and Jackie Brown is about survival). Along with everything else, the movie provides a showcase for a terrific ensemble of actors: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Christopher Penn, and Tarantino himself, offering a fervent dissection of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" over breakfast. Reservoir Dogs is violent (though the violence is implied rather than explicit), clever, gabby, harrowing, funny, suspenseful, and even--in the end--unexpectedly moving. (Don't forget that "Super Sounds of the Seventies" soundtrack, either.) Reservoir Dogs deserves just as much acclaim and attention as its follow-up, Pulp Fiction, would receive two years later. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (349)

Fantastic!
Quentin Tarantino's debut film RESERVOIR DOGS broke new ground that many other directors and screen writers were afraid to tread upon. This amazingly well-written, directed, and acted film is about a jewel heist gone wrong and the consequences of each man's suspicions. Harvey Keitel is wonderful as tough but compassionate Mr. White(Each man is given an alias name, no one's real name is used), Michael Madsen is cool and psychotic as Mr. Blonde, Sean Penn delivers a strong performance as Nice-Guy Eddie, Lawrence Tierney is very intimidating as Joe, the crime boss, and Quentin Tarantino gives a great cameo performance as the short-lived Mr. Brown. The really great performances definitely go to Tim Roth and Steve Buscemi. For Roth(Mr. Orange), this was a breakthrough role in which he spends a good deal of the movie drenched in his own blood and in his screams of pain never once goes into an over-the-top performance. It's right on the money. Buscemi is dripping with attitude and gives one of his best performances until FARGO in RESERVOIR DOGS. From the moment he appears on screen, you know its gonna be a bumpy ride. A must-see for anyone who enjoys lotsa suspense, catchy dialogue and music, and some great action scenes.

Tarantino Makes His Mark
Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs is a brilliantly written, unique film that paved the way for Mr. Tarantino's breakthrough film, Pulp Fiction. The plot of Reservoir Dogs revolves around a diamond heist that goes afoul. A group of criminals who have never worked together are assembled and given names like Mr. White, Mr. Pink and Mr. Blonde. The film is intercut with flashbacks in which the characters played by Michael Madsen, Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth are explored in more detail. Mr. Madsen is incredible as the psychotic Mr. Blonde and his scene in which he brutalizes a cop in medieval fashion is alternately disturbingly brutal and humorous. Steve Buschemi is a scream as the jumpy Mr. Pink and Mr. Keitel provides the film with its backbone as Mr. White. Mr. Tarantino has keen eye for detail and the opening scene in a diner in which the crooks are discussing everything from what Madonna meant in her song "Like A Virgin" to 70's songs to tipping contains some of the sharpest dialogue in years. Mr. Tarantino also uses music to great effect and he overlays scenes with the voice of comedian Steven Wright as host of a radio show K Billy's Super Sounds of the 70's. Reservoir Dogs is a tremendous debut film and introduced Mr. Tarantino as a force.
The 10th Anniversary Edition is nice a step up in sound and quality from the first edition. The extras are good, but just the overall better sound and picture is worth purchasing this version if you already own the first.

Stylized, intelligent--but someone tell Quentin he can't act
To a degree amateurish, but to an equal degree compelling and original, Reservoir Dogs is a stylistic, gritty look at the gangsters of Quentin Tarantino's imagination. The story, such as it is, is the weak point of the film. The strange tale of an undercover cop who tries to bust up a family-sized gangster ring is just plain silly at times. The strong points, however, are many. Each character has a terrific, interesting voice; the dialogue is snappy and artistic; the music choices are inspired. And that infamous "ear" scene? Frankly, it's one of the few scenes that doesn't work. It just comes off as dumb.

Think of Reservior Dogs as the rough sketch for a movie yet to come: Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction is superior in every respect, but it's a treat to see its progenitor.

Bold enough to be a new genre
Quentin Tarantino has done an amazing job at taking a very low budget, and using a unique method of story telling and raw dialogue to turn it around. He was also lucky to get a great cast much like Pulp Fiction did. This film creates a new genre, because his un-chronological and very raw vision will be and is being copied all over the world. Many people criticize Tarantino for worshipping violence and profanity. However, when you examine the film's plot, it is really quite reasonable that characters swear as much as they do. And also, the violence in the movie only seems as bad as you make it in your mind, as the worst parts are only partially shown. This is another one of Tarantino's tricks. Some great performances are had too, for example Michael Madsen. His cold-blooded and partially psychotic character misleads us, up until a scene where he attempts to burn a kidnapped police officer, where our adoration of him turns to hate. However, Quentin quickly balances that out wonderfully. The ending may be a little "off" for some people, but all in all a great film.

Awesome movie. Awesome DVD. Definitely one of the Best!
First and foremost, this is indisputably Quentin Tarentino's best film ever. After having seen it some dozen-plus times, it still captivates and intrigues me with every watching. The way the plot works itself out is ingenius, the suspense is second-to-none. Steve Buscemi, as Mr. Pink, is a highlight of this movie: He plays his character ridiculously well.

The entire two hours of this film are violent, disturbing, riveting, captivating, and raw: All said, this film is like a cinematic car accident - you rubberneck, you gasp, you feed this primordial urge to see violence and power. The story of five men - Mr. Blue, Mr. Pink, Mr. White, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blonde - converge when they are called into do a jewelry store heist. However, theyf ind out that one of their fellow gangsters has set them up: That the heist failed because someone among them had ratted them out.
The entire movie unfolds as, really, a two hour dialogue between Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, and Mr. White - as well as with the subsequent intruders into the wharehouse. The entire film, essentially, takes place in a wharehouse with sporadic flashbacks and cuts to other instances which lead up to the final scene.

This DVD is an awesome buy. It comes with a fullscreen and widescreen edition, as well as lots of special editions: trailors, posters, picture galleries, etc. Definitely, this movie is an excellent addition to anyone's DVD collection. One of the best values I have in my collection! ... Read more

Reviews (349)

Fantastic!
Quentin Tarantino's debut film RESERVOIR DOGS broke new ground that many other directors and screen writers were afraid to tread upon. This amazingly well-written, directed, and acted film is about a jewel heist gone wrong and the consequences of each man's suspicions. Harvey Keitel is wonderful as tough but compassionate Mr. White(Each man is given an alias name, no one's real name is used), Michael Madsen is cool and psychotic as Mr. Blonde, Sean Penn delivers a strong performance as Nice-Guy Eddie, Lawrence Tierney is very intimidating as Joe, the crime boss, and Quentin Tarantino gives a great cameo performance as the short-lived Mr. Brown. The really great performances definitely go to Tim Roth and Steve Buscemi. For Roth(Mr. Orange), this was a breakthrough role in which he spends a good deal of the movie drenched in his own blood and in his screams of pain never once goes into an over-the-top performance. It's right on the money. Buscemi is dripping with attitude and gives one of his best performances until FARGO in RESERVOIR DOGS. From the moment he appears on screen, you know its gonna be a bumpy ride. A must-see for anyone who enjoys lotsa suspense, catchy dialogue and music, and some great action scenes.

Tarantino Makes His Mark
Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs is a brilliantly written, unique film that paved the way for Mr. Tarantino's breakthrough film, Pulp Fiction. The plot of Reservoir Dogs revolves around a diamond heist that goes afoul. A group of criminals who have never worked together are assembled and given names like Mr. White, Mr. Pink and Mr. Blonde. The film is intercut with flashbacks in which the characters played by Michael Madsen, Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth are explored in more detail. Mr. Madsen is incredible as the psychotic Mr. Blonde and his scene in which he brutalizes a cop in medieval fashion is alternately disturbingly brutal and humorous. Steve Buschemi is a scream as the jumpy Mr. Pink and Mr. Keitel provides the film with its backbone as Mr. White. Mr. Tarantino has keen eye for detail and the opening scene in a diner in which the crooks are discussing everything from what Madonna meant in her song "Like A Virgin" to 70's songs to tipping contains some of the sharpest dialogue in years. Mr. Tarantino also uses music to great effect and he overlays scenes with the voice of comedian Steven Wright as host of a radio show K Billy's Super Sounds of the 70's. Reservoir Dogs is a tremendous debut film and introduced Mr. Tarantino as a force.
The 10th Anniversary Edition is nice a step up in sound and quality from the first edition. The extras are good, but just the overall better sound and picture is worth purchasing this version if you already own the first.

Stylized, intelligent--but someone tell Quentin he can't act
To a degree amateurish, but to an equal degree compelling and original, Reservoir Dogs is a stylistic, gritty look at the gangsters of Quentin Tarantino's imagination. The story, such as it is, is the weak point of the film. The strange tale of an undercover cop who tries to bust up a family-sized gangster ring is just plain silly at times. The strong points, however, are many. Each character has a terrific, interesting voice; the dialogue is snappy and artistic; the music choices are inspired. And that infamous "ear" scene? Frankly, it's one of the few scenes that doesn't work. It just comes off as dumb.

Think of Reservior Dogs as the rough sketch for a movie yet to come: Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction is superior in every respect, but it's a treat to see its progenitor.

Bold enough to be a new genre
Quentin Tarantino has done an amazing job at taking a very low budget, and using a unique method of story telling and raw dialogue to turn it around. He was also lucky to get a great cast much like Pulp Fiction did. This film creates a new genre, because his un-chronological and very raw vision will be and is being copied all over the world. Many people criticize Tarantino for worshipping violence and profanity. However, when you examine the film's plot, it is really quite reasonable that characters swear as much as they do. And also, the violence in the movie only seems as bad as you make it in your mind, as the worst parts are only partially shown. This is another one of Tarantino's tricks. Some great performances are had too, for example Michael Madsen. His cold-blooded and partially psychotic character misleads us, up until a scene where he attempts to burn a kidnapped police officer, where our adoration of him turns to hate. However, Quentin quickly balances that out wonderfully. The ending may be a little "off" for some people, but all in all a great film.

Awesome movie. Awesome DVD. Definitely one of the Best!
First and foremost, this is indisputably Quentin Tarentino's best film ever. After having seen it some dozen-plus times, it still captivates and intrigues me with every watching. The way the plot works itself out is ingenius, the suspense is second-to-none. Steve Buscemi, as Mr. Pink, is a highlight of this movie: He plays his character ridiculously well.

The entire two hours of this film are violent, disturbing, riveting, captivating, and raw: All said, this film is like a cinematic car accident - you rubberneck, you gasp, you feed this primordial urge to see violence and power. The story of five men - Mr. Blue, Mr. Pink, Mr. White, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blonde - converge when they are called into do a jewelry store heist. However, theyf ind out that one of their fellow gangsters has set them up: That the heist failed because someone among them had ratted them out.
The entire movie unfolds as, really, a two hour dialogue between Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, and Mr. White - as well as with the subsequent intruders into the wharehouse. The entire film, essentially, takes place in a wharehouse with sporadic flashbacks and cuts to other instances which lead up to the final scene.

This DVD is an awesome buy. It comes with a fullscreen and widescreen edition, as well as lots of special editions: trailors, posters, picture galleries, etc. Definitely, this movie is an excellent addition to anyone's DVD collection. One of the best values I have in my collection! ... Read more