Darkly humorous tale laced with profanity and corruption...

Rating: 7/10 (15 September 2007)

PULP FICTION is the sort of tale right up Quentin Tarantino's dark alley of a fictional mind. All of his criminals speak the profanity-laced dialog with such effortless ease that it seems perfectly natural after the first five minutes to hear the "f" word and the "n" word spoken with regularity by a very competent cast of actors. There is no such thing as political correctness in his vocabulary, so it's an audacious piece of work.
Tarantino weaves the tales of several characters, not all of whom are related, until eventually the tales do dovetail together to make a common pattern out of the jumbled narrative. It's all done in brisk, good story-telling style to keep the viewer interested throughout the two-and-a-half hour running time.
The dark humor is present in almost every situation you can think of involving murder and mayhem and somewhere, in all the Bible readings that SAMUEL L. JACKSON quotes, there's a message about redemption that seems to be the raison d'etre for the final scene in the diner.
UMA THURMAN has delicious fun with the role of a gangster's moll who sniffs a little too much white powder in the ladies room while on a date with JOHN TRAVOLTA. The two of them get a chance to demonstrate their prowess with romantic comedy in this wonderful sequence where they go to a '50s-theme restaurant with an art deco ambiance and some '50 icons like Marilyn Monroe, Ed Sullivan and Mamie Van Doren doing their stuff while platters are served. They also indulge in a twist dance contest which, naturally, they win.
It's the lightest moment in a film with plenty of dark twists and unpredictable shoot-outs that are a blend of violent gore and gales of laughter. HARVEY KEITEL has a fine time with the role of a "cleaner-upper" who gives instructions on how to wipe the blood off messy crime scenes. BRUCE WILLIS is excellent as a boxer who fails to lose the match and has to go on the lam to escape the wrath of a crime boss. His brutal treatment at the hands of a sadistic hardware store owner and his sick pals is one of the most lurid episodes of the many layered story. They don't call this "pulp fiction" for nothing!! Despite the disturbing scenes of violence, it manages to be a highly entertaining mix of crime and comedy that keeps rolling along toward a satisfying ending in the diner where the first scene involving TIM ROTH and AMANDA PLUMMER took place.
Summing up: More likely to have broadest appeal for young male viewers who like their crime stories raw, real and unpredictable. Original, inventive and understandably awarded a great many honors when released.