Pulp Fiction review

Jules: The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee. 

Director: Quentin Tarantino
(1994)

There's something very special about Quentin Tarantino films, something that’s difficult to pinpoint. It’s not the quality of the cinematography, the flashes of hard violence or the intriguing narrative. No, I think my love for his films comes out of the fact he has characters sit somewhere and talk about shit for an entire film and still manages to craft some of the most brilliant, perversely funny films I've ever seen. There’s little doubt in anyone’s mind, Pulp Fiction is a fast talking, pop culture phenomenon.

Opening with a couple chatting about robbing liquor stores and restaurants, Pulp fiction grabs your attention from the get go. The dialogue is a standout; these characters remain seated for almost the entire scene, our interest held by the enthralling conversation. These 2 characters (Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer) are almost discarded as we jump cut to a pair of hitmen, Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) as they do dirty work for their boss, Marcellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). Tarantino isn’t content with just following this duo, and we witness more jump cuts involving prize-fighter Butch (Bruce Willis), Marcellus’ wife Mia (Uma Thurman) and the mysterious cleaner, the Wolf (Harvey Kietel). It’s presented in a non linear fashion, the story consists of various plot arcs that don’t instantly mesh, but become entrancing in the way they fall perfectly into place.

Tarantino shows us that he is one of the finest writers of his generation. There is nary an exchange that isn’t brimming with style or class, every word spoken is thoughtfully chosen. Homage’s are lathered on thick, his previous occupation as a video store clerk being used to full affect. Pulp may last 2 and a half hours, but sublime dialogue makes the time fly. The best scenes are those with Jackson and Travolta. The dialogue here is insane, ranging from the weird (comparing foot rubs to oral sex) to the hilarious (you wanna know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in Europe? Royale with cheese.) The middle of the film becomes severely bogged down by Bruce Willis’ character Butch. It starts splendidly, with an excellent Christopher Walken starring flashback, but becomes tiresome. The following cab ride with a driver obsessed with death (Angela Jones) was good, but too much time is spent on Butch’s girlfriend Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros) talking about pot bellies and blueberry pancakes. This arc does finish excellently though, violence and death preventing this sizable chunk of film from becoming a total loss.

Complimenting the phenomenal dialogue is the superb work of Cinematographer Andrzej Sekula. His incredibly gorgeous cinematography goes beyond excessively flashing framing in order to augment the narrative. One scene that always stick in my mind is when Butch realises his precious pocket watch is missing. Things begin with a long shot framing both him and girlfriend Fabienne, as he roots through his suitcase to find it. As he searches, the camera slowing zooms in to focus on him, Fabienne out of shot but still talking. Pulp Fiction is full of shots as meaningful as this; both Tarantino and Sekula have successfully added a further layer to the way the story is told.

Once the credits role and all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, Pulp Fiction can very much be considered and influential, genre defining classic. Rammed with iconic, memorable scenes and backed by a scintillating script and a perfect use of music, we have the defining film of the 90’s. The middle is dragged down and Tarantino pushes the boundaries of self cameo a little too far, but Pulp Fiction is and always will be a classic.

 

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