well this is a hard one. there were definitely parts of this I really enjoyed. how can a cinephile not love the constant nods to cinema/tv tropes and personalities ( go mama cass). I watched this in my living room - dodgy download - so I missed all the bright and shininess - my experience was more dull and gritty. so yeah the beautiful veneer was stripped off. and what was left was a bit ugly. I had a problem with Pitt - an ageing stuntman easily besting a martial artist - sure it was played for laughs - but really? All I could see was yet another white alpha male. Cue the ranch. yep Brad's got them beat. By this point the men I shared this film with - the audience members being recorded - were whooping and hollering. While I was cringing from all the objectifying shots of women , the men were being tarantinoed -made to seem cool, having a bromance, they might be down but never out. By the end - the ultra-violent alternative ending- there were cheers as a woman had her face caved in, the biggest noise reserved for the biggest gun and what it could do. Yep fry that woman to a crisp and get a belly laugh. I ended up holding my hands to my cheeks - like some silent film star conveying shocked disbelief. This little audience of one felt a bit sick...