Style in spades: Razor's review of Kill Bill, which differed quite a bit from mine, was very sharp. And I don't disagree with most of his points. Yes my heart was racing, and yes it was visually spectacular (I thought the image of the water pump at the end of the final fight scene was great, and a rare moment of reflection in a movie that never stops jerking your head in different directions). Maybe it's just a matter of taste, because I don't think Tarantino is any less of a film maker. But I think he made some blunders.

You have to expect the altered chronology in a Tarantino film, so that didn't bother me. But in his past movies he manages to bring it together at the end, so you know what you were seeing before. Maybe we'll get all the story we need in Episode Two, but I believe that a movie needs to be able to stand on its own, without prequels or sequels. The next movie may give more information or tell what comes next (or before, a la Godfather II) but each one has to justify itself. And that, to me, Tarantino failed to do. All the high wire act and choreography in the world couldn't sway me from the opinion that Quentin shot enough action for five movies, but couldn't come up with enough story to fill out one.

I guess the style is the story, along with the multiple homages and musical orgy. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I picked up the details of that stuff better, but I was pretty much stumped beyond "Allusion to Kung Fu film X." I don't have a real history with that stuff, so it wasn't as powerful, I guess.

I'm glad you liked it Razor, and many others I've talked to did as well. I've got Pulp Fiction on DVD, though. That'll hold me over till Kill Bill 2 - Revenge Of The Sequel has past.