Horribly tense and darkly humorous

Rating: 10/10 (27 August 2009)

I was very impressed with Pulp Fiction, upon seeing it for the first time recently. Right down to the nitty gritty: Pulp Fiction specializes in sharp and darkly humorous dialog which builds up almost unbearable suspense, culminating in sudden violence. In particular, Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta provide a nearly endless supply of memorable quotes (most of which can't be repeated in polite company). The plot itself is rather fragmented, but fairly easy to follow. The violence can be brutal (in particular, one headshot results in a bloody mess all over a car's back window), but is much more toned down than in Kill Bill, and is relatively infrequent. Unfortunately, the movie whole-heartedly embraces some things that viewers might find offensive. Male Rape makes a brief appearance, as well as an implied torture (which we never see), explicit drug use, and an F-bomb count that I swear exceeds the total number of minutes in the movie.
In the end, though, Pulp Fiction ends on a positive note, and doesn't leave you feeling unhappy and dirty. It's a thrill ride from beginning to end, and a brilliant one at that.