REVIEW #222 Pulp Fiction (1994)

Set in the underworld of LA, a series of incidents intertwines the lives of two mobsters, a gangsters wife, a boxer and two small time crooks. 

Pulp Fiction is a Tarantino classic, that will always stand the test of time! A movie with captivating dialogue, executed by the amazing performances from its impressive cast. Now, it had been so long since I last rewatched this film and I almost forgot just how much I loved it, the first and second act in particular. Samuel L Jackson knocks it out of the park, his delivery of dialogue is pretty much perfect and I could listen to him give an explicit monologue all day long. My only disappointment was that we didn’t see even more of him! That’s not to take credit away from the other cast members because they performed well too. The chemistry between Uma Thurman and John Travolta was incredible and the entire section of ‘Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’s wife’ was so entertaining. After all it did create that iconic twist dance scene that is still instantly recognisable all these years later. 

The cinematography is kept pretty simple, yet effective, with a strong emphasis on close up shots that were used frequently across the film. This was perfect because it allowed the actors freedom to utilise their facial expressions really well. Travolta could show the effects of the drugs and booze when out with Mia, similarly those shots highlighted to the audience the subtle seductive gestures Mia was giving to Vincent too. Not to mention the mystery it provided whenever someone opened the brief case and they had the golden glow appear on the characters face. I loved Tarantino’s reasoning behind keeping what was in the case a secret, he explained that it meant every audience member would have their own assumptions about what’s inside, creating their own context and as a result they would then have their own personalised version of the film. It’s the little details like that I really enjoy. We also had moments of the trademark Tarantino gore, which happens when Vincent misfires in the car. Meanwhile it still has the enjoyable humour that works so well in all of his films.

My main criticism would have to be the middle act, I found myself disconnected from the Butch character and his storyline. It certainly got more entertaining towards the end of his story but the beginning was a bit of drag. Bruce Willis just didn’t have the same effect with his dialogue delivery, but to be fair to him, he had a lot less to work with. However Butch’s story does blend well into the overarching plot and there was never a point where I thought there might be one too many characters we were exploring. Tarantino is obviously one of the all time great directors (at least in my opinion), he has a great talent for storytelling and his ability to keep the audience on their toes is what makes his films so popular and Pulp Fiction is no different! For once I think the critics on Rotten Tomatoes has a film scored perfectly! 

Overall (9.2/10)

Thanks for reading.

Callan