Two hours and thirty-four minutes of pure enjoyment

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 2013)

Until recently, I was one of the few people on earth who had not seen this film. However, a couple of days ago, I finally ordered the Tarantino box-set and sat down to watch Pulp Fiction. The phrase "blown away" is thrown around a lot regarding a variety of things, but I can honestly say that I am not exaggerating in the slightest. There are so many fantastic things about this film, but I think one of the film's best assets is Tarantino's magnificently woven screenplay. Halfway through the film, I was wondering how Tarantino could possibly link all of the stories together to make some sort of sense, and then he managed to spectacularly. The characters and moments he has created in this film will be remembered for years to come. He simply breathes life into all of his characters, giving them their own personalities and showing a three dimensional side to every single person in the film, even the more minor characters like Zed and Fabienne. Vincent's slightly dorky, disorganised gangster was brilliant to watch, especially when he is looking after Mia; Keitel's "Wolf" was seedy and yet classy at the same time; Butch's sentimental motives were humorous given that he had just killed a man for his own selfish gain; Christopher Walken's short scene as Captain Kooks made me laugh out loud. Even character like The Gimp were interesting enough to leave you thinking about them for time afterwards. Credit must, of course, be given to the performances of every single actor and actress in the film. There was not a single performance that was slightly out of place or off key to the world around them. Every line was delivered with perfect timing, and it made Tarantino's already great screenplay even better. My personal favourite was Samuel L. Jackson's portrayal of Jules, although I don't think that's a very original choice on my part. The cinematography in this film is equally memorable, too. There was not a single shot, just like the performances of the actors & actresses, that was out of place or drew away from the experience of the film. The long, uninterrupted shot of Jules and Vincent walking along the corridor talking about Mia's foot massage before the infamous burger sequence was one of my favourites. To top it all off, the soundtrack is pure genius – I can't help but feel like a bad-ass whenever I hear Misirlou by Dick Dale or Surf Rider by The Lively Ones after watching this film. Handpicked by Tarantino himself, I hear. An interesting point about this film is the fact that it has no clear moral story or message. This, I think, is one of the reasons that I, and many people, enjoyed it so much, because it is not trying to be something that it is not. It is pure enjoyment, and the text at the very beginning makes it clear that the phrase "Pulp Fiction" means, essentially, "Trash Story". The mystery surrounding the briefcase is most likely Tarantino's way of letting the viewer decide what is in the case themselves, making for some very interesting speculation. Despite being very funny and very enjoyable, Pulp Fiction still has its dark, less enjoyable moments, one of the most memorable involving Marsellus, Zed and a basement (need I say any more?). However, Tarantino still manages to make these dark moments funny and enjoyable, and certainly manages to make them memorable. For a very controversial film about the criminal underworld in Los Angeles, this film is surprisingly timeless. I can genuinely imagine people still watching it for many, many years to come, and for them to enjoy it as much as the original audiences did, and as much as I did. Pulp Fiction is fully deserving of all the awards and popularity surrounding it, and manages to make the same impact on new audiences nowadays as it did to the original audiences nearly 20 years ago. Quentin Tarantino has truly made something special – a classic, you might say. It will go down in my opinion, and many others I am sure, of one of the best films of all time. One of the only flaws about it is that I doubt whether Tarantino will ever be able to top it...