PULP FICTION
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth
Release: May 1994
Run Time: 154 Minutes
Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction is a highly stylised post-modern American crime film. Held in high regard by critics and film study students, Pulp Fiction is known for its eclectic dialogue, ironic humour and violence, and a host of cinematic and pop culture references. Its non-linear story revolves around mobsters, small time criminals, and a MacGuffin briefcase.
Set in Los Angeles during the 1990s, Pulp Fiction’s narrative structure is broken down into seven sections, each with their own distinctive characters. Like most of Tarantino’s films, the sections are in a non-chronological order, but every story is original and beautifully relates to one another without straying too much from the bigger picture. Expect to see an armed robbery, many assassinations, a drug overdose, a katana, and a gimp in this mixed bag of bloody violence and crude wit.
The acting is phenomenal, with award-nominated performances from John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and the lascivious Uma Thurman. Bruce Willis’ act as aging boxer Butch is a terrific addition and the role of Jules Winnfield couldn’t have been played by anyone else but Jackson, who brings misdemeanour and fury to the role. But the real star of the movie is Tarantino himself, and not as whipped husband Jimmy, but in his role as director and writer. The script is confidently written; the banter between the characters is extremely entertaining no matter how mundane the subject is. In terms of direction, there are some brilliant themes and creative decisions that he chose to implement, all of which make the film feel as good as it is. Elements such as: keeping Marsellus Wallace identity hidden until you least expect it, the briefcase that’s nothing more than a plot device, Vincent Vega’s (John Travolta) chaotic toilet visits, and the elaborate links that interweave each story are just some of the many little things that make this film so good.
Its cool style, sound, music, and film references are fundamentals for a Tarantino film, as is the excessive use of the F-word. Pulp Fiction is a modern classic with a crass attitude and an outstanding cast that will be remembered for a very long time.
Helen’s Thoughts:
Right, don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t like Tarantino’s films, because I quite like some of them – Kill Bill for example – but Pulp Fiction was the worst one I’ve seen. Why? I don’t like ironic violence, and if I wanted to watch a film about drug use I’d watch Trainspotting again. I’m not disputing the fact the acting was good – I like Bruce Willis – but I really didn’t like the subject matter. The thing that annoys me about Tarantino’s films is that you can’t quite believe they’d actually happen; I prefer something to be either fantastical or true to life, not something in between. I can understand why people would like Pulp Fiction and I’m glad I’ve seen it, but I wouldn’t watch it again. I think a lot of pretentious people claim to like films like this because of the cult status they have and think that they should like them; I’m not going to pretend I like a film just to be cool.
VERDICT: Not for me.
Leave a comment