CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

Pulp Fiction

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Year

1994

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Quentin Tarantino took Cannes and then the whole world by storm with his surprisingly innovative 1994 film Pulp Fiction which, quite ironically, is almost completely based on or inspired by vintage films and filled with pop culture references. What makes Tarantino’s film such an original piece is its shameless black humor, its “neat” portrayal of brutal violence and its unending dynamism in the concoction of hallucinatory stories featuring murderers, bums, perverts and several sorts of lowlifes.

The film’s colorful presentation is not the only thing that dazzles the viewer and leaves him or her so awed; it’s the fact that the stories (written by Tarantino from stories by himself and Roger Avary) are indeed positive and good-intended, have a message and paint an optimistic panorama. Hard to believe, even to most who have seen the movie, but that’s how it is…

Most of the plot surrounds hit men Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), who are unforgiving at their job but enjoy having philosophical conversations about the most trivial subjects. They possess a great sense of humor and mostly behave as any guy who goes to work and chats with his buddies. Their boss, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), has asked Vincent to show his wife a good time while he’s gone; Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) is eccentric and irresistible, and enjoys a good time at any cost. Vincent thinks he’s in trouble when he feels attracted to her, but he’s in for way more excitement, albeit not for the faint of heart.

Another story stars boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) who has agreed to go down during a fight for the benefit of Marsellus, but has other plans and runs away with the money after defeating his adversary. Everything goes great until he finds out that his girlfriend (Maria de Medeiros) forgot the most important token of his life back in their apartment: a gold watch inherited with great trouble by his father and his father before him. He goes back to find it and lives the single weirdest day of his life.

Finally back to Vincent and Jules, we witness them get into the most senseless trouble when a man is accidentally shot in their car by one of them. They go for help to the house of Jimmy of Toluca Lake (Quentin Tarantino) who’s not the least bit happy to help them. Marsellus then sends a very peculiar “cleaner” called The Wolf (Harvey Keitel) to solve their problem while teaching them some very useful lessons.

Wow, while writing the synopses of the three main stories, I got the feeling that they’re shallow and irrelevant, and it just might be true to the superficial eye. That is not the case. Every story is a life-changing experience for the protagonists and signifies a change of pace in their lifestyles that brings balance to their existences. Much like Akira Kurosawa, Tarantino cared to fill his tales with honor and justice, making sure that every felon got a punishment and every repenting soul a price. There’s not one exception to this rule, even if it means punishing one of everyone’s favorite characters and awarding one of the nastiest.

The immensely daring stories are presented in a non-linear way that makes everything way more irresistible. As usual in this kind of mosaics, the storylines cross paths, but since they’re asynchronous they usually do so in a way that makes the procedures intriguing and surprising. There’s a shocker in the middle of the film, for instance, that’s hard to get over, with a climatic event from one storyline taking place in another, hence much sooner and way more unexpectedly than if it had happened as one could have supposed.

It’s hard not to love a film where every single character is charismatic and every actor performs to perfection. Tarantino made the risky decision to make his film dialogue-driven and there’s hardly any scene where words doesn’t take center stage—the dancing sequence between Vincent and Mia comes to mind as an exception, though it’s only a sequence and doesn’t even last that long. The reason why dialogue isn’t a bad choice in Pulp Fiction is because it’s so incredibly witty though down-to-earth and sometimes even vulgar, but full of powerful insights and intense exchanges.

As something extra and, by the way, spectacular, Tarantino’s masterpiece is not a certain kind of film. It’s indefinable and doesn’t stick to any genre. It’s a comedy at times, a thriller at others, a crime saga, a musical, you name it. But it’s so well put together that it’s flawless, and with such a glamorous look and feel—through Andrzej Sekula’s photography (inspired by cult films at times), Sally Menke’s editing and a collection of vintage songs, some of them long forgotten before this—that it simply works. It works and how.

As I said, the performances are top-notch. The film marked the return of John Travolta and certainly meant stardom to Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman. Willis is also remarkable and if I had to pinpoint anyone else, I probably would Eric Stoltz, who’s hilarious as a small-time drug-dealer who operates at home. Other members of this amazing cast include Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer and Rosanna Arquette.

For years I claimed Pulp Fiction was my favorite film. Now I just don’t know, because there are so many wonderful pieces in the world to love and live by. But it could as well be. I just love this awesome film.

“Mmm-hm! This is a tasty burger!”

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Other reviews of Pulp Fiction (1994): Morris

Review

Pulp Fiction

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Year

1994

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Thursday, January 08, 2004

As one of Groucho’s favorite movies of all time I’ve always had a special fondness for this movie that is hard to describe. It also helps that it’s such an excellent motion picture!!!

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are a pair of mob hit men who work for Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). One of Vincent’s jobs involves taking Marsellus’s wife Mia (Uma Thurman) out to have fun, but somehow the night goes wrong in several unexpected ways. Meanwhile boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) makes a deal with Marsellus but is not that sure he wants to carry on with it. Throw in the mix a pair of bank robbers (Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer) that somehow get in the way and there’s your movie pretty much!

It is very difficult to describe Pulp Fiction since it’s such an original and different movie from anything that had been done before it. Quentin Tarantino put the emphasis on dialogue, of which there’s plenty, and the movie paid off in absolutely amazing ways. There are entire scenes here that are, essentially, about nothing. Yet Tarantino has his audience in stitches and never bored. Those conversations are amusing and fun and out of the ordinary.

And then there’s also the plot, which is told in non-chronological order that gives it even more pizzazz. The stories come together, then separate, then affect each other, then come together again. It’s a big puzzle that only makes sense at the end.

Despite all its violence, Pulp Fiction is ultimately about redemption. Jules’s speech at the end is especially touching because it also reflects the truth and makes total sense after we’ve watched the entire movie.

Oh, and there’s nothing like that night out with Vince and Mia. It’s a classic sequence that involves a great conversation at a restaurant, a great dance sequence and a big pay-off that is both hysterically funny and suspenseful.

As always with Tarantino, the movie is filled with great songs and music. It is also filled with countless references to old movies he loves. And there’s also the production design, which is amazing especially in the big restaurant scene.

There’s no one like Samuel L. Jackson, and in this movie he exudes coolness. This is, for me, his best performance ever. He has never been better. And part of that is the great material he was given to work with. Uma Thurman is also astonishingly good. No one else could’ve played Mia’s part this good. She’s ravishing!!! And John Travolta, whom I usually dislike, is perfect for the part.

A very violent movie that is not about violence per sé, but that has a stronger message hidden in there that gives it meaning. It’s all pulp fiction!

“That's a pretty fucking good milkshake. I don't know if it's worth five dollars but it's pretty fucking good.”

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Other reviews of Pulp Fiction (1994): Groucho