If Quentin Tarantino was a grill man, then his movie Pulp Fiction would be a `Royal with Cheese!'

Rating: Null/10 (1 February 2003)

The movie depicts three different stories all interconnected by the characters involved. The main characters Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta give memorable performances as Jules and Vincent. They play a couple of hip criminals sent by their boss to retrieve his mysterious briefcase. Through out their adventure the audience is shown that the simplest decisions made have direct and sometimes dire consequences on life.
Although the three stories involved are shown out of sequence, Tarantino does an excellent job making the scenes flow together. Unlike the recent film `Memento' where event/time can become confusing the audience in `Pulp' is able to easily follow when a scene is taking us back in time to events that preceded other events already shown. One method used by Tarantino to accomplish this is the classic fade to black at the end of a story followed by an introductory title board before a new story.
I especially like the acting in `Pulp Fiction.' Tarantino seems to bring out the best in the actors and actresses, including the very small almost minuscule parts. Christopher Walken appears for only 3 minutes, but gives a brilliant performance in which he talks about what he went through to deliver a watch. You want to laugh and cry for what this poor guy went through to deliver this watch. Then there is Harvey Keitel who doesn't appear till nearly the end of the film, yet is able to make a lasting impression on the audience. He plays the cleaner, sent to assist Travolta and Jackson after an unfortunate mishap. He's cool, clam, and smooth, as he sips his coffee, assess the situation, and saves the day. A few other small parts, but with notable performances are given by Amanda Plummer, Tim Roth, and Eric Stoltz.
Yes, we all know Tarantino has a love for violence and it is quite present in `Pulp'. However, it's not nearly as overpowering as one might suspect from a Tarantino film. You don't get the sense that Tarantino set out to shock you with the violence, such as the disturbing `ear' scene in `Reservoir Dogs.'
Remember as you watch `Pulp' it's the simple choices that later have big outcomes on the lives of the characters. The type of container you choose to store your drugs, could come back to haunt you. A freak event occurs; do you dismiss it, or re evaluate your chosen profession? Could the next tragic event in your life have been avoided if you had only made the decision to watch `Pulp Fiction?' Don't take the chance, watch it, you may be glad you did.