Some People Just Don't Understand

Rating: 10/10 (1 May 2004)

I won't hide the fact that my comments here are directed toward the people that don't like this movie, but my foremost goal is to clarify a few issues about this movie that some people just plainly don't have right.
Issue 1: The movie is gratuitously violent!
Well, yes and no. I admit that for it's time 'Pulp Fiction' seemed excessively bloody and does at times glamorize violence, but if you review the film frame by frame, you'll realize that most of the violence is implied. The famous needle scene and Marvin's unexpected end actually show less than you may think. Tarantino stealthily cuts away at the exact moment when the audience expects to see something gruesome, and everything that we think we saw only occurred in our imaginations. Now apart from those two scenes, there is a sword fight and a few executions, but none of them are as gruesome as what one would expect to see in action movies.
The reason why people believe the movie is so violent is because of the extraordinary tension that Tarantino builds up in every scene. Bret's interrogation creates incredible tension because everyone knows that it will explode in violence, but they don't know when. Vincent's "accident" is excruciating to some people because they see the gun bouncing in Vincent's hand just before it discharges. People find it painful to watch because what they fear would happen is exactly what happens. I know some people dislike this movie because everyone laughs at the violence. They don't seem to understand that the audience is supposed to laugh. The laughter is there to relieve the tension because otherwise the movie really would be gratuitously violent.
This movie is a caricature of criminals and neurotics, and the point is to watch them react to their world. Fans of this movie are not blood-thirsty and do not find it cool to kill people. What so many like about 'Pulp Fiction' is how Tarantino builds up his events and then pays them off so elegantly that some mistake it for a director trying to be cool. He isn't trying. He's succeeding very brilliantly.
Issue 2: The non-linear story is confusing and pointless!
This issue that some people have with 'Pulp Fiction' really bewilders me, and it's plainly obvious that the people who says it are conventional movie watchers who don't like to put effort into what they're watching. These mainstream movie-goers want plot points and character arcs that can be diagrammed. While there's nothing wrong with linear story-telling, non-linear movies can be a relief sometimes, especially when it's done well. 'Pulp Fiction' is a perfect example of non-linear story-telling because the movie cannot be told in a linear fashion!
Think about what would happen. The movie would begin with Jules and Vincent, but then Jules' redemption would happen midway through the movie, Vincent would go on his date with Mia, and finally Butch would have his turn. The movie wouldn't make any sense! People would wonder why Butch was introduced so late, and Jules' redemption would feel less meaningful because it would no longer be the focus at the end. But as it is, the movie begins and ends perfectly. Tarantino introduces all the characters at the correct moments, and he places the chapters in such a way that it brings more focus on the characters rather than the plot.
If the movie had ended with Butch riding away, it would have felt drab and awkward, but ending with Jules feels ennobling.
Issue 3: The dialogue is meaningless!
I know it shouldn't, but this issue really ticks me off sometimes because there's not a shred of truth behind it. It's like complaining that Mozart's music has too many notes. People complain not because there's too many, but because they're just too lazy to listen to all of it and interpret what it means. As Roger Ebert says, Tarantino's dialogue is "load bearing." Take the "Quarter Pounder with cheese" discussion between Jules and Vincent. Some may believe it's frivolous dialogue, but the information we learn from it makes a reprise in a later interrogation and initiates the mounting tension in that scene.
The discussion of foot massages introduces the imposing threat of dating Mia Wallace, and Fabi's speech about potbellies is used to hide the fear in her situation. She's trying to comfort herself with pillow talk so that she won't have to talk about hiding from the mafia. Honestly, 'Pulp Fiction' is the most quotable movie ever made. At times, the dialogue sounds like poetry. The conversations do not jump or bounce, they flow and ebb with the sounds always hitting their emotional cues. It's a rare film that can be just as entertaining when listened to rather than watched.
If you are one of those few that cannot at least appreciate how well Tarantino creates his characters and narrative structure, then don't bother complaining because I already feel sorry that you cannot enjoy the movie as so many do. At the very least, you should not criticize the movie with false and shallow comments. Because really, in the end, you're only embarrassing yourself.