Darkly funny genre-bending piece easily marks one of the best films of cinematic history

Rating: 10/10 (2 May 2015)

Quentin Tarantino has taken a spot as one of the best and most influential directors of all time. Two years after his success with his debut film Reservoir Dogs, he took his director skills up to next level in this incredibly unique black comedy black comedy Pulp Fiction. Boasting a strong ensemble cast of actors including Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Harvey Keital, Uma Therman, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken, Maria De Medeiros, and Eric Stoltz; this bold genre-bending piece demonstrates Tarantino exercising his unique style of direction in arguably his most polished fashion yet. Told in a nonlinear perspective, this film follows three interconnecting story lines centering on a wide range of characters in their life of crime in the city of Los Angeles. Followed by a tense introduction of two restaurant robbers (played by Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer), we are introduced to two tuxedo-suited hit men Vincent Vega (played by John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson) as they make a hit for their mob boss Marcellis Wallace (played by Ving Rhames) that goes awry. This is followed by Vincent Vega on a platonic date with Marcellis's wife Mia (played by Uma Thurman), next storyline introduces us to a championship boxer Butch Coolidge (played by Bruce Willis) and his girlfriend Fabienne (played by Maria De Medeiros); followed by the aftermath of Vincent and Jules's mob hit where they meet with Jules' friend Jimmy (played by Quentin Tarantino himself) and Winston Wolfe (played by Harvey Keital) to help them out of their predicament.
When it comes to writing sharp dialogue and a long range of exotically colorful characters, that is where director Quentin Tarantino's cinematic expertise shines the brightest. In other words, he proves more than capable of writing a finely masterful screenplay and translating on screen in the most engaging manner possible. Unlike this previous film 'Reservoir Dogs' which centered on a group of unhinged criminals in the aftermath of a jewelry store robbery, this film sees Tarantino expands upon his narrative scope with a slightly more lighthearted tone; though a relatively heavy amount of violence and four-letter words. The story sets in two hit-man played by former 'Grease' star John Travolta and the ever-popular Samuel L. Jackson as they are embark on their way to a mob hit while trading in some philosophical discussions consisting of clever pop culture references including the now-famous "royale with cheese". The rest of the dialogue consists of some snappy monologues and bold one-liners formulated by Tarantino's edgy script. Many of the characters, almost all of which are distinct archetypes with a morally gray area, embrace in Tarantino's nonlinear series of vignettes that all lead to moments of both shock and unexpected laughter, but with plenty of memorability.
Among the wildly large ensemble cast, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson are easily the duo is stand out. These two embrace such an engaging chemistry on their opening scene with their top-notch dialogue and darkly funny nature, and Travolta also claims an opportunity to establish a clever chemistry with Uma Thurman in a following storyline featuring Eric Scholtz as a drug dealer who must come to Travolta's aid when his date with Thurman goes awry. Bruce Willis gives a smart, but perhaps less memorable performance as an ailing boxer who faces a fateful encounter with Marcellis Wallace, played by Ving Rhames who plays the role in a solid fashion. Christopher Walken makes a brief appearance as a Vietnam War veteran in a flashback sequence, but doesn't have much offer beyond his few minutes of screen time. Maria De Medeiros as the girlfriend of Bruce Willis's character embraces a fine performance, but sadly is given a whole lot to do. One of the biggest surprise is Quentin Tarantino who makes a brash cameo as a friend of Samuel L. Jackson in one vignette set after the horrible carnage that ensues in Jackson and Travolta's mob hit. Finally, there is Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer as the Bonnie and Clyde-like couple who explode on screen in an electrifying restaurant robbery leads to a sassy showdown, with semi-funny results.
Pulp Fiction is a masterfully entertaining cinematic piece that marks not the best of Quentin Tarantino's efforts but by far one of the best films in cinematic history. It is a film overflowing with plenty of substance, solid performances, colorful dialogue, and a spectacular amount of cinematic surprises; although it's audacious humor and occasionally unpleasant nature can proved to be for offensive for some. In the end, it places Tarantino on the high ranks of Hollywood's ladder.