Cheeseburgers, Foot Massages and A Mysterious Case

Rating: 10/10 (25 June 2005)

"Pulp Fiction" is a incredible film by Quentin Tarantino, fresh from "Resevior Dogs." The film has several stories, but the common thread is Jules and Vincent (Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta), hit men that work for Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). Jules is one cool s.o.b. Don't believe me? Catch the scene when he mentally tortures the guys that betrayed Wallace: He takes a bite out of one of the guy's burger and takes a sip of his soda, all the while getting ready to kill them! Later, Vincent takes out Mia, Wallace's wife (Uma Thurman). Vincent makes it clear that it is not a date, but you can tell that they have feelings for each other. The "date" ends on a low note when Mia OD's on Vincent's heroin (She being a coke head, thought it was coke). What follows is one of the most disturbing scenes in cinematic history.
Butch's story soon follows. A washed-out boxer, he earlier promised Wallace to take a dive in the ring. Butch betrays Wallace and decides to skip town with his girlfriend Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros). But she forgot his watch, which was an heirloom from his late father (And delivered to him when he was a boy by Christopher Walken, in one of the most not-funny-but-you-laugh-anyway scenes). Determined to get his watch Bruce ends up in a situation along with Wallace that has shades of "Deliverance" all over it.
Other scenes throughout the film include Jules and Vincent racing the clock to clean out their car (Due to Vincent accidentally shooting a guy in the head) with the assistance of The Wolf (Harvey Keitel) before Bonnie, their friend's wife, comes home; 2 would be robbers (Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth)discussing the benefits of robbing a restaurant, and the mystery of the briefcase (What's in it is never revealed, but it is enough for it to glow!).
Pure classic film, loaded with violence, but insightful (The discussion of cheeseburgers really is interesting, as well as the difference between particular types of foot massages!). Tarentino brings out the best work out of his cast, but it is Jackson as Jules who steals the film (His speech before he kills the guys in the apartment STILL sends shivers down my spine). Check it out!