really, one of a kind

Rating: 10/10 (10 February 2004)

Rarely does a movie come out that has such a powerful impact on movies that come after it. Pulp Fiction, aside from being a great movie, revolutionized filmmaking, and energized it, while making a strong stamp on current pop culture. Its impact can be compared to film's magicians of the 70s like Coppola, Polanski, or Scrosese for example. It is a work of stunning originality (which is still easy to appreciate, regardless of countless imitations out there); three intersecting stories carried by dialogue. Now, a lot has been made of the screenplay and the conversations in the film, and for a good reason - the film consists of poetry spoken in gangster lingo, with beautifully embellished, anecdotic logic, exuberant vulgarity, pop culture allusions (of the best kind) and finally spiritual contemplation and irony. The dialogues are fresh and have seeped into pop culture. The movie is at once an artistic tribute to pulpy gangster films with strong European influences, and an original of its own. It is a story of redemption in a world that is so carefully crafted it can only be admired. The performances, from Jackson and Travolta, to Willis and Thurman are flawless. And the carefully carefree dosages of savage brutality and drugs add to the exuberance of this movie, along with its soundtrack. Pulp Fiction is really one of a kind - and I doubt Tarantino will ever top himself (though I hope he does - Kill Bill isn't close enough). Instead, many have focused on attempting to do original films within the Pulp Fiction genre, one marked by non-chronological storytelling, jovial dialogue and so on. However, this generally results in a contradiction in terms - it's hard to do an original film in the style of a film whose remarkableness is due to its original style. Surely, someone will experiment with form again to a revolutionary degree, but Pulp Fiction remains one of a kind, and one of my very favorites.