A jewel robbery at a store should be a simple task for a gang if hardened criminals, but the plan goes horribly wrong, prompting the members to think that one of them is a Police informant.

Where to even begin with this film, there's no doubt about it, it's one of Quentin Tarantino's best, it's exciting, thrilling, uncomfortable and funny, it really does offer something for everyone.

It's quite a simple storyline when you think of it, but it's the incredible character play that makes it so incredible, Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney and Tim Roth all fabulous.

It's Michael Madsen who steals it for me, that dance scene is just incredible, that whole sequence is unnerving, unsettling, violent and just brilliant.

It's loaded with classic scenes, the torture of that poor Policeman is the highlight, and of course that wonderful big reveal is terrific,

The music is superb throughout, you'll be reaching for the tracklist after the credits roll.

10/10.

Mr Blonde has quite a nasty disposition, always eager to assist in a transition, from alive to being dead, he likes to cut and instil dread, a psychopathic, murdering, clinician. Mr Pink is quite uptight most all the time, as for tipping, wouldn't even leave a dime, continually he frets, he's quite feeble and quite wet, doesn't trust another soul when doing crime. Mr White can be quite tough but can be kind, not afraid to let you know what's on his mind, he can be the voice of reason, tries to add to the cohesion, though his finger's on the trigger and always primed.

Several colourfully named rogues regroup after a failed heist and leave you wondering why Mr Orange wasn't called Mr Blood Orange.

After watching this half a dozen times with a biased, anti-Tarantino, "what the heck is so great about this guy, anyway" view(which, as most anyone watching any film with that view and a fair bit of self-knowledge will tell you, is a rather fruitless practice in pointlessness... if you've decided you're not going to like it, there's very little reason to think that you will, no matter how good it is; you need an open mind), I finally decided to give it a fair hearing... and I saw it for what it is. An unusual film, at least for its time. A stylish film full of cool dialog, cinematography, editing and music. The whole thing comes together perfectly and is very short of creating a sublime film experience. The plot is excellently written and told. The pace is perfect. I wasn't bored for a second, nor did I ever really want it to move faster or slower. The cinematography is magnificent, and incredibly well-integrated. Pans, dolly trips and, lest we forget, the stationary shots... all perfectly used. Very stylized. The acting is top-notch all-round. With most of the cast being name actors, this is no surprise, but they really do shine. Madsen, Buscemi, Keitel, Roth... all incredible. The one role that had less than good... well, let's be honest, it had rather awful acting. I'm speaking, of course, of Tarantino's character. Now, don't get me wrong; in From Dusk Till Dawn, this man did great. But just about any other time I've seen him act, he just doesn't seem to have the first clue. Being a film-maker myself(albeit on somewhat of a smaller scale than Quentin), I can relate to wanting to cast yourself in a role... but sometimes, you just need to face up to the facts, and admit it if you can't act. Still, that is a minor complaint. Another one might be that there are at least two fairly big characters that seem completely and entirely expendable... they had no real role in the action and could very, very easily have been cut with no real loss to the overall product. I won't name them here, but anyone who's seen the film will know who I'm talking about. All the characters, however, are well-written and their actions credible. Tarantino knows his stuff when it comes to writing... something that also shows in the dialog, which, although somewhat drawn-out at times, is exceptional. Well-delivered, too. When it comes to direction, he shows how talented he is, as well. The film is very well put together. The editing is great, with the non-linear time-line telling the story far better than a "regular" film ever could. One of the many Tarantino-fans, in fact, the very person who originally talked me into watching this film, once told me that he had heard of someone editing films with such time-lines - this, Pulp Fiction, Memento, etc. - so that their time-lines were perfectly linear. I'm sorry, I entirely respect their right to do such a thing... and I won't claim that their doing so has less artistic value than the original films in any way... but I refuse to watch that. A big part of this being so well-told lies in the time-line. Also, I'm a firm believer of watching something the way the makers intended it. Don't edit, don't censor, don't make your own version and pass it off as anything but just that... your own version, and not the original. Sorry, rant over. Finally, I just need to comment on the music... the soundtrack of this is just great. Tarantino collected so many amazing 70's tunes for this film and used them great. All in all, just a really, really good film. Very little keeps this from being a perfect ten, most of which I've covered here. I recommend this to anyone who can stomach the violence and who likes their films with a side of style. 8/10