did anyone else find the torture basement scene gratuitous? on the basis of one viewing, i felt like the film would have been much stronger without that scene. thoughts? I did find the scene gratuitous, but necessary. I say this because it is one of the few shots in the film that the audience *may* realize that violence is, in fact, painful. This is specifically why I don't think the film holds up. Don't get me wrong, it *is* entertaining, but you can't avoid looking at the means. Someone on the list mentioned earlier that one of the funniest scenes is when Tarantino gives his speach on dead nigger storage. I laughed my ass off when I saw that part, but then I checked my laughter, the problem is I don't think I was among the majority in doing so (wondering why I was laughing, that is). I think most of us would agree, in any other context no one would find this funny. This is distinctly different from how Taratino treats the same sort of issues in Resevoir Dogs. In Dogs, we are constantly reminded that the lead character is lying on the floor bleeding to death, and we are forced to identify with his pain, but in P.F. most of the violence is just plain humorous, and this relies on the suspension of disbelief of a whole other sort, as we identify more with the release mechanism of violence, which, in my personal opinion, can and should be sought for else where.