Take 'im down to the kennel and sick the dogs on and we'll find out what he knows!

Rating: 10/10 (15 November 1999)

Warning: does contain spoilers.
Before I go into how great this film is, I have to first tell you something that I know everyone thinks but so few have commented on, and that is the performance of Ving Rhames. For those of you that have seen this film, you all know what I am going to say is the gospel, for those of you that haven't, if you ever see a film for a singular performance, see two films. One is Tombstone because of Val Kilmer and the other is Pulp Fiction for Rhames. His portrayal of Marcellus Wallace is one of the greatest performances in the history of motion pictures. His mannerisms, his dialect, his virility, his coolness and his ruthlessness all should have given him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year, even over Samuel Jackson. Just think back to some of this lines, some of his actions and some of his facial expressions. This is the epitome of greatness and if I could pick 5 performances in the history of film that are the embodiment of powerful interpretations and believability, this would easily be up there. Just look at the scene when Jules talks to him after the Marvin problem. Jules is freaking out and Wallace calmly responds " I'm on the m*****f***a, go back inside and chill them niggas out, I'm sending in tha Wolf. " As he delivers the line he is serenely sitting in his backyard with his cool shades covering his malicious eyes and he is wiping his mouth with an expensive hanky. His delivery is perfect and when you listen to him you don't think this is a ruthless killer, he is just a guy next door with a very nice house. And what makes it even better is that they are two gangsters talking about alleviating the Bonnie situation before she gets home. These are two bad ass criminals that are in the business of killing people and they are attempting to save a man's marriage by removing a dead body from the garage. That is just dripping with contradictions, but it works because of the writing and because of the delivery, mostly by Rhames. Another scene that demonstrates his grasp of his character is the rape scene. When he finally gets around to his comeuppance against " Billy Boy ", he spits out his dialogue with such venom that while you are cheering his triumph, you are actually worried for Zed and his soon-to-be-living-his-shortass-life-in-agonizing-pain-rapist situation. And then when he talks to Butch, he is fair and thankful for Butch's assistance but cannot forget how Butch betrayed him. " Oh that what now. I'll tell you what now. There is no me and you. You leave town tonight and when you be gone you stay gone. You lost all your L.A. privledges. " Ving Rhames is my favourite part of the film ( besides the ridiculously intelligent and original script ) and quoting him is now a daily regimen at work with my other friends that like the film. I think Tarantino is so smart for casting Rhames in this role and what it makes it that much better is knowing that Rhames is one of the most humble men in Hollywood, remember when he gave back his Emmy to Jack Lemmon as he tearfully said that he hadn't paid enough dues yet and Lemmon was one of his idols? The man can do no wrong in my eyes. He is one of a kind.
As for the rest of Pulp Fiction, this is a film that will often be imitated but never duplicated. That is an old cliche but it is so true in this case. It is completely original and without a doubt, what makes it so original and so great is simply the writing. What other film can have gangsters talking about foot massages and the importance of them just before they are about to perform a hit. What other film can describe in great detail what a pilot for a film is and then talk about a man that fell through a four story window and develop a speech impediment, all before entering into a room to ramble on about the Bible and how tasty the burgers are before executing them with extreme prejudice. There is a simple and definitive answer to that question, no film. Pulp fiction takes violence and surrounds it with every day conversations with people that seem to be in a different world yet they jump through some strange porthole and into ours by discussing things like blueberry muffins, how good coffee is, cleaning a blood smeared car with domesticated products that are located under Jimmy's sink, oral pleasure, speaking Bora Bora, getting day jobs as opposed to robbing banks, being cool like Fonzie and five dollar milkshakes. How and where Tarantino thought of this script is beyond me, all I know is that my film life and even my life is richer now that I have seen Pulp Fiction. I can understand why this film was passed over at the Oscars for Forrest Gump, but in most people's opinion this was the best film of 1994. I loved Gump and Shawshank Redemption but I also loved Pulp Fiction and if it would have won Best Picture that year I would have been just as happy. Pulp Fiction is one of the best films ever made and it will be remembered into the new millennium and my bet is that when film people are talking about the best films of the last 200 years ( when it is about to turn 2100 ) Pulp Fiction is going to be one of them mentioned. When you can have Christopher Walken talk with a straight face about hiding a watch in a place that was not meant to store medal, have Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth talk seriously about robbing a restaurant, have Travolta and Jackson talk about walking the Earth like Kane in Kung Fu, have Eric Stoltz shout at his wife to find his little black medical book before he gives a shot to an O.D-ing Uma Thurman, have Harvey Keitel appear in a full tuxedo at 8:00 AM and then appear on the scene to "solve problems" have Tarantino appear himself as a guy that knows the difference between gourmet coffee and the crappy stuff his wife buys, have Bruce Willis decide what weapon he is going to use to stop the bad guys, have Ving Rhames talk about having a guy pop out of a bowl of rice and "pop a cap" in someone's ass if he shows up in Indo-China and have it all make sense, well you have something special. Pulp Fiction isn't a movie, it is an experience, it is a gift to true film fans. This may not be for everyone as some people forget this is a film and they think it is a documentary on life and they get offended because it is not about love and honesty and morals and all that other crap that exists in some Hollywood films. This is a film that takes all that you have ever known about film and bludgeons it to death with a pen and paper. It redefines what is acceptable and what is off beat and all it asks you to do is enjoy this film for 2 and a half hours. I did, immensely, and I think most people will, and have. If you really have not seen this, then you are robbing yourself of one of the best cinematic experiences in the history of film. This is easily one of the best films ever made. How anyone can disagree is beyond my understanding and I can't see how you can truly call yourself a film fan if you can't see the brilliance of this film.