Pulp Fiction

*This is a Retro Rath's Review for a film that I had previously NOT seen before.*

I think one thing is evidently clear about the movie landscape that I noticed from watching Pulp Fiction.

It's a movie that has achieved ridiculously high cult status and is regarded by some as Tarantino's best movie, and for many it's one of their favorite movies of all time.

I speak about the movie landscape because I'm sure that back in 1994 this movie was like a breath of fresh air and that the small bouts of violence were shocking. Even still in 2014, the movie has a unique aura about it and I was certainly impressed by the scenes that many deem "iconic".

Pulp Fiction shows a maturity in Tarantino's filmmaking and I'm starting to notice that he is one of the more interesting directors to watch his growth. For me, his recently released Django Unchained is his best film, and one of the more memorable films in the last several years. It's a long way from the grossly overrated (sorry fan boys) Reservoir Dogs from 1992. Pulp Fiction seems to let Tarantino flex his muscles a bit more and now having seen some of his earlier films, I appreciate the effort that he puts into growing his craft between each film he makes. It's a trait that not many Hollywood directors share these days. I think, that had Pulp Fiction released in this day and age of film that it might not have been as shocking as it was in 1994 where it seemed to make huge waves. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it is an expertly crafted film that is a ton of fun to watch.

"English motherf***er! Do. You. Speak. It?"
Funny line for an iconic scene.

Chubby Travolta doing the twist. He's still got it.

There weren't too many things that I didn't like about Pulp Fiction. Personally, the disjointed acts and out-of-order storytelling didn't really resonate with me. I understood everything perfectly fine, but I think the film would have also been effective if told in a somewhat more chronological order. There just seemed to be a lot of disconnection between some of the storylines. Looking back on the film as well, not every scene has a larger purpose, which is fine, but sometimes these scenes can drag on for longer than they need to and it begs the question at times, "What is the point?". For me, that's one of Tarantino's biggest successes over his career is the ability to have a larger goal, a larger purpose for his films other than just having a witty script and fun characters. It's part of the reason that I wasn't impressed by Reservoir Dogs...it just didn't seem to have any point at all. Pulp Fiction treads this ground a few times, but ultimately it doesn't fall into the same trap.

Hopefully what Bruce Willis did to the director of the last
Die Hard movie.

The true awesomeness of Pulp Fiction, and the true awesomeness of any Quentin Tarantino film for that matter, lies in two things: the script and the characters. There is iconic line after iconic line uttered throughout this film, most hilarious, some thought provoking, but all created and curated with care by their master. The script was downright absurdly funny sometimes (note that it's mostly dark humor), and each character was given quite a bit to say and/or do. And how about those characters too? Featuring a stellar cast of Travolta, Jackson, Willis, Thurman, and more, each character feels extremely well defined. Travolta's Vincent plays off his real life persona a bit; sly, cool, but also having the ability to screw everything up (poor Marvin!). Jackson is in one of his most defining roles ever and it's truly one of those roles that I'm not sure any other person could have carried out. The way he speaks, the way he uses his eyes at others, and just his general inflections of his voice that we have come to know and love...the character of Jules is Sam Jackson through and through. Willis and Thurman also do really well, although I thought Willis' Butch was the least unique of the group. Thurman's slightly crazy, drug-obsessed Mia was fun (but I'm still not sure why she is THE poster child for the film...sex sells maybe?) and her storyline should basically come with the tagline, "Don't do drugs mmmmmmmk?"

"Why were you shaking the ketchup bottle while we were driving!?
Do you see this mess?"
*Hint: that's not ketchup*

Pulp Fiction was one of those rare movies that has been built up so much by its cult status and it barely disappointed me. Unlike it's earlier brother, I could find a deeper purpose within the film past all the wise cracks, violence, and characters. It certainly is an iconic piece of filmmaking that I'm sure, when it came out in 1994, was a breath of fresh air and really like nothing anyone had ever seen before. Seeing it for the first time in 2014, it's not nearly as shocking, but it ages well and that factor doesn't take away from the fact that its a damn good (and fun) Tarantino flick.

CONS:

• The separated storylines were kind of fun, but ultimately a bit unnecessary. Other than a few continuity issues, I would have rather had it told linearly. But that could just be me
• As is the issue with some Tarantino films, sometimes the script flexes TOO much muscle. Some scenes and their dialogue could have been shortened and still gotten the point across
• One of Tarantino's biggest issues with his early films was that they lacked an overall purpose. Pulp Fiction suffers this at times

PROS:

• A really fun soundtrack
• Iconic script and characters. I now understand why people quotedthis movie so often
• "English motherf**ker! Do you speak it?" I laughed so hard
• Some really great scenes that, with the combination of the script, are burned into your mind for a while
• Doesn't telegraph its "twists" at all. Some genuinely surprising moments
• John Travolta and Sam Jackson are the only two who could have done those roles. They killed it
• The rest of the cast is superb as well
• An intricate storyline that connects many different parties in ways that you may not expect
• Truly classic Tarantino on display here. Almost all of his films are great, but Pulp Fiction definitely deserves its cult status.

Retro Rath's Review Score: 9/10