Not a film I feel passionately about, but still an undeniably fantastic second feature from Tarantino.

Rating: 9/10 (25 June 2016)

Quentin Tarantino had an immediate fan base following his career after the release of the excellent "Reservoir Dogs" in 1992, which only grew significantly upon the release of the much-revered "Pulp Fiction" two years later. Commonly referred to by many as one of the best films of the '90s, the film was simply a revolution, its impact undeniable. Many - perhaps the majority excepting those who prefer "Jackie Brown" - consider "Fiction" Tarantino's finest work. Countless film fans worship at its alter. Am I one of them? Not really. I think the film is fantastic for reasons I'll soon explain, but I don't passionately subscribe to it as Tarantino's best either. In fact, "Django Unchained" is easily better, and this film has serious claims to that title from "Inglourious Basterds" or "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" (YES, I think it's better than number one, okay...easily better, in fact).
But why is this film so particularly popular? It's remarkably clever, pop-culture-hip, reference-heavy dialogue is one such reason. There's no wonder it won Tarantino and Roger Avary an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The technique on display only matches the words - Tarantino's patient, passionate direction and Andrzej Sekuła's stylish yet unobtrusive are a match made in heaven.
The film is consistently tense, electrifying and unpredictable, and that is aided by its (at the time at least) unique non-linear narrative. It never complies with Hollywood movie clichés, and even in 2016 this approach is refreshing.
Fans and viewers which of "Fiction"'s distinctive four chapters is its best. Some, like me, will place the first chapter (somewhat smug and self-satisfied, like Uma Thurman's performance on re-watches) and the last (overly convenient - how come nobody walks into a previously packed diner and interrupts the goings-on?) the worst of the best. They'll prefer the brutally tense mid-section involving the sexy anti-hero Butch Coolidge (perhaps a career-best Bruce Willis) and the darkly hilarious, clever Harvey Keitel-assisted murder clean-up. They are certainly the film's highlights for me. But the film encourages subjectivity (the suitcase, hello?) and perhaps these different interpretations are part of the fun of this wickedly clever, irrefutably influential modern classic.