Inventive and thoroughly original modern classic

Rating: Null/10 (1 October 2002)

The fact that Pulp Fiction has inspired so many wannabe crime spectaculars is a testament to its originality, which, in a close finish, is the greatest aspect of this film. It surprised me with its tangents of craziness and fascinating characters, and rarely have I found a recent movie that I have wanted to view repeatedly to pick up the little aspects of. The film, amazingly, makes you forget the surrounding factors (such as the bloodshed, the suburban drug-grubbing LA area, etc.) and makes you focus on the characters and the dialogue.
Some have considered Pulp Fiction a superficially ambiguous film, with throwaway diatribes and few new comments on crime life from writer-director Quentin Tarantino's first stark film, Reservoir Dogs (1992). True, Pulp Fiction does feature a lot of the same features as Reservoir Dogs, such as the gunfights and the sometimes gratuitous brutality, but to me, Tarantino is putting a new spin on well-worn filmic stories. The plot is split through three interlocking and weaving stories, and upon the end of the first viewing of the film, you find yourself saying, "Now I remember how he got there!" It gives the mind an added gift to toss around when considering the film's plot.
Specifically, the high quality of acting stems straight from the dialogue, which (as I'm sure I've said) stands out at film's end. The most accomplished and varied ensemble cast in recent memory all contribute performances that suck you invariably in to the scene being portrayed, with exceptional performances by the reborn John Travolta, the intriguing and searching Samuel L. Jackson, and the always bloody Bruce Willis. As most of us know (and some who have been doing so), the screenplay is quoted in pop culture ad nauseum; how, I ask, do lines like "This is a tasty burger!" become useful in everyday life besides the daily trips to Wendy's? This stands as another testament to the staying power of the dialogue, which ranges from joyful banter and gossip (the black-Samoan Antoine's predicament of being thrown from a window) to absolute lunacy (the famed "Le Big Mac" conversation, which borders on SNL skit material). You laugh, and at the same time, throw up your hands.
In 1992, after the initial release of Reservoir Dogs, Roger Ebert challenged the "obviously talented" Tarantino to make a better film. He did just that by crafting a film worthy of the Best Picture award in a hotly-contested year for great films (don't forget Forrest Gump and The Shawshank Redemption). For me, the film lingers in the mind, as you try to understand just why you enjoyed this crazy film. 9/10