I think Tarantino can be a bit polarizing amongst audiences; either you love him or hate him. There's been discussion about his "borrowing" of ideas and aesthetics of other filmmakers and genres. A 2004 Guardian (UK) article said of his work,

"With his latest release, 'Kill Bill Vol 2', Tarantino's 'borrowing' has reached unprecedented proportions. The film is made almost entirely from elements of other films...Hong Kong martial arts flicks, Japanese samurai movies, blaxploitation films and spaghetti westerns."

I see their point. Some may also find issue with him slapping his name on the U.S. releases of Asian martial arts films ("Hero", "Iron Monkey"), but I do think that his cachet within the U.S. film industry helps to get those films stateside. And admittedly, I would never have known who Sonny Chiba or Gordon Liu was if I hadn't seen "Kill Bill."

Anyway, I like the underdog ethos of his casting choices. He purposefully finds actors that he likes and wants to see working, i.e. John Travolta, Pam Grier, and the relative newbie cast of "Grindhouse." I don't think it's a savior complex. Apparently he's a fan of Patrick's (ha, what straight man isn't?) and if he's eager to get an Asian American on the big screen, far be it from me to whine about it. Will it be another sexpot Asian seductress role or something surprisingly nuanced? We'll have to wait and see.

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