The Nineties, one Masterpiece and a Mysterious Black Briefcase ...

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2011)

Writing is an instinct Quentin certainly possesses, and with "Pulp Fiction", his second film, he made a sensational break-through entrance in the great directors' joint. His influence on movies in the late 90's and early 00's is indisputable and even after 16 years, the freshness and originality of "Pulp Fiction" never ceases to strike. The film is thrilling, entertaining and darkly amusing from the beginning to the ending. Indeed, "Pulp Fiction" is just one of these films where things reach such a level of whatever makes movies worth being admired; on the top of that : writing. This is what makes "Pulp Fiction" rhymes with perfection and what most defines the Tarantinesque style.
Chapter 1. The Cannolis of the Nineties.
Writing is the special ingredient. When characters talk in a Tarantino film, the subtlety is that it makes you think it has nothing to do with the plot, that it's totally irrelevant, when in fact it is totally irrelevant and random yet it serves the plot. One golden rule in screen writing is that what you put must be related to the story : Tarantino throws away this rule and still respects it. The discussion about the little differences and how they call hamburgers is mentioned again when Jules asks Brett about it and till now, Vega's "Royale with Cheese" still resonates as the Canolli's quote of the 90's. The foot massage discussion finds another relevancy as it helps to characterize Marcellus's sensitivity and electrify the whole interaction between Jules and Mia. The Gold watch story, makes Butch' burst of anger totally understandable when Fabienne admits she forgot it. There were 1000 ways to make us learn about the Gold watch story, Tarantino takes a legendary actor telling us with such conviction we don't know if we're supposed to laugh or take it seriously. Deeper than that, notice how the Divine Intervention that saves Jules and Vincent's asses, inspired different reactions and the one who decides not to retire will ultimately be killed. God seems to play with fate like Tarantino with plot devices. Notice how Jules' decision will save Ringo and Pumpkin and lead to an Ezekiel's bloodless recitation. And of course, the reappearance of the two robbers at the end of the film is another tribute to Quentin's creative trademark: non-linear narrative structure. Sure Quentin didn't invent that, but he transcended it, making it an element of entertainment and total unpredictability. We'll go back to unpredictability later.
Chapter 2. From "Misirlou" to "Surf Rider"
Music is one of the key qualities of Quentin Tarantino films. It's like a second casting, Quentin casts his music like he does for his female characters. What would have been this film without the dazzling "Misirlou" start, without "Girl, You'll be a Woman", and the iconic "You Never Can Tell" featuring one of the weirdest but most memorable and reenacted cinematic dance sequences. Quentin doesn't embarrass himself by choosing a composer or a grandiloquent score, no, he drains his inspiration from Pop Culture, from existing songs that would have probably sunk into oblivion if there weren't touched by Tarantino's selective instinct. The music is like a second language in his film, and it sure mixes perfectly well, with the dialogs. Whenever I hear the shrill voice of Honey Bunny shouting " last one of ya" I immediately imagine "Misirlou" starting, like the emblematic hymn of the 90's. But music ain't the only one element ejecting the movie from the land of normality
Chapter 3. Perfection : from Head to Foot.
Tarantino is the goddamn casting fairy of them actors  no seriously, he has like a magic power, who else could have made Travolta resuscitating after his "Look Who's Talking" career? Who else could have made Samuel L. Jackson look so bad-ass with this ridiculous wig? Who else could have convinced Ving Rhames to re-enacts Ned Beatty's deliverance? Oh, I should get to the point, who else can make so close to perfection female castings, covering all tastes of women we can imagine : from the hypnotic Uma Thurman, to the hysterical Yolanda, to the punky pierced Jody, from the sweet and tender Fabienne to the sensuous lips of Esmarelda Villalobos, they're all defining a specific feminine charm. And thanks, Mr. Tarantino to make us finally assume out little fetishism
Chapter 4. Black Humor and White Towels
Unpredictability relies on what I would call the little differences that makes "Pulp Fiction" a classic film. It has this thing in common with other masterpieces like "The Godfather" or "Citizen Kane", where every single scene is a classic, from A to Zed. The meaning of the title, the robbery preceding the opening credits, the mysterious glowing stuff inside the briefcase, the foot massage discussion, the square visual effect, the dance contest, Mia's feet walking on the floor, the adrenaline shot, the Coolidge vs. Hoover fight, Esmarelda's feet stepping on the accelerator, Fabienne's oral wish, Fabienne's f sweet accent, Vincent's death, Marcellus crossing the road with his box of donuts, Zed and Maynard, the Gimp, Marcellus's medieval speech, Zed's demise, Marvin  now that was unpredictable, who could see that coming? Should we laugh? Yes, 'cause it's funny as hell. It was an accident, as if it was supposed to be an excuse. The whole movie and what follows is the ultimate proof that this film is a masterpiece of comedy; the whole "Bonnie" situation creates so many gags, including the memorable appearance of Winston Wolf. This part sacred "Pulp Fiction" as a great film; and the last minutes made it a classic.
End of story. When Jules and Vincent leave the restaurant, with the "Surf Rider" song starting, you know your eyes have been watching something new and fresh, something that will change the face of movies for a bunch of years to come. Just for "Pulp Fiction", Quentin Tarantino deserves to be admitted in the directors writers' hall of fame.