Cooler than the Fonz

Rating: 9/10 (12 January 2008)

If you only know the work of Quentin Tarantino from the self-indulgent 'Kill Bill' films, you'd be surprised to see the sheer brilliance of his earlier efforts: the Shakespearian 'Reservoir Dogs', the underrated blaxploitation thriller 'Jackie Brown', and this film, made in between those other two and perhaps his finest work. Inventive, clever, funny and cool, 'Pulp Fiction' was one of the defining films of its decade, and over ten years later, it still feels fresh. Samul L. Jackson will forever be remembered as bible-quoting hit-man Jules; John Travolta revived his career as his sidekick Vicent, who always seems to be on the toilet at the key moments; and if this sounds like a crass sort of gag, in fact it is executed with the stylish slyness that characterises the whole film. The dialogue is often hilarious too, while the achronological story telling is perfectly judged, turning a collection of essentially separate tales into a single movie. It's not quite perfect; the scene in the basement has its moments, but also hints at the tendency to unadulterated excess that has come to typify the director's later work. Watch this film instead; and hope that one day, Tarantino will manage to make a another one like it.