Masterpiece of Characters and Dialogue

Rating: Null/10 (19 August 2011)

Pulp Fiction (1994)
**** (out of 4)
Quentin Tarantino's breakthrough about the underside of the L.A. crime scene and focuses on stories involving a couple hit men (John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson), a down and out boxer (Bruce Willis) and the big man's wife (Uma Thurman). Over the course of a matter of days their lives all get connected in this roller coaster ride of a movie. If you're looking for warmth or heart then it's best you stay away from this movie but if you want a brilliantly constructed story dealing with people who often don't get movies made about them then PULP FICTION is just for you. Yes, crime movies have always featured these type of violent men and women but no screenplay has ever gotten inside their head or tried to show what killers talk about while they're on the job. The dialogue is what really seals the deal on this film and it certainly deserved the Best Screenplay Oscar that it won. The stories are told out of order, which is always a tough way to tell a story because you can often confuse the viewer or make it so frustrating that the viewer just gives up. Tarantino's stories are so well structured that you never get confused as to what's going on and being able to see how some characters end up before we get to the actual ending, which in fact takes place earlier than the "real" ending works very well. There are so many classic scenes to be found in this movie but some of the highlights include a terrific dance sequence between Travolta and Thurman to a Chuck Berry classic, an adrenaline shot sequence and of course the classic Biblical quote delivered by Jackson. As great as the screenplay is it offered many people a jump to their career and this was certainly true for Travolta who really gets to shine here. When this movie was released it was considered his first great film in years and it gave that career and major boost but it's a shame he hasn't done more with it over the years. Jackson became known as that "Bad Motherf&*&er," which perfectly sums up his performance. Both Thurman and Willis do a great job with their roles and the supporting players are all extremely good as well. PULP FICTION truly is a cult classic that delivers on the suspense, the laughs and it really just makes you feel as if you're looking in on a group of people who you'd normally never be in the same room with. Add the great soundtrack, the wonderful cinematography and some terrific homages to older movies and you've really got something original and special. Tarantino's influence of the crime flicks from the 70s and the Europeon crime films is so apparent yet he takes these moments and makes them his own. PULP FICTION really did change the way movies were made and it was a real eye-opener when it was first released but like most masterpieces it also keeps getting better with age.