A Postmodern Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (30 January 2016)

A critic of the film once told me, "Pulp Fiction is Tarantino's most successful work at trying to say so much and at the same time saying nothing at all." Of course, he wasn't wrong. It seems he didn't recognize the significance of the debut of postmodern film in Pulp Fiction. Film critics, movie buffs, and the like are often coming at the film from different angles, always asking the question, what does it all mean? Naturally the answer is absolutely nothing, and that is exactly what makes Pulp Fiction such a masterpiece.
Tarantino has made a perfect film without having to make it about anything in particular. His dialogue draws the viewer in and captures their attention, placing them in the room, arguing and bantering alongside the characters which he has set in place. The various sub-plots are nothing if not unique, incorporating shocking events such as an adrenaline shot to the chest after a heroin overdose, a blown- up head leading to theological retribution, or Butch choosing to save his nemesis from his raper. The result is a film that is completely new, completely unheard of, and yet saturated with allusions, familiar faces, familiar music, and the timelessness of pop culture.
Upon finishing Pulp Fiction, whether for the first time or the hundredth time, the feeling one often gets is satisfaction. However, every time, I find myself finishing the film and longing for conviction. It is this slight failure of the film to make you feel one way or another that leaves the viewer with a non-convicted feeling of satisfaction, after presenting such stark and shocking material. It is Tarantino's ability to not just make people feel something, but to make people want to feel something that they can't quite put their finger on which truly makes this film a postmodern masterpiece, not to mention a charming screenplay, bold cinematography, and an enthralling star-studded cast.