Highly Recommended

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2017)

'PULP FICTION' - 1994
Directed by Quentin Tarantino{Reservoir Dogs}
Starring John Travolta{Carrie; Grease}, Samuel L Jackson{Jurassic Park; Jungle Feaver} and Bruce Willis{Die Hard; Hudson Hawk}
Plot Overview: ​Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hit men with a penchant for philosophical discussions. In this ultra-hip, multi-strand crime movie, their storyline is interwoven with those of their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) ; his actress wife, Mia (Uma Thurman) ; struggling boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) ; master fixer Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) and a nervous pair of armed robbers, "Pumpkin" (Tim Roth) and "Honey Bunny" (Amanda Plummer).
I think that the best way for me to describe this movie is as follows: "I don't know why that happened, but it did; and I like it". Because that is pretty much my reaction to everything in this movie. From the chitchat to the dance scene: very little in this movie makes sense contextually to the plot but I really like it in that weird way. There is NO reason for half of what does happen to happen, but what does happen happens so what's the point in trying to complain?
As far as my major praises go, it has to be to Quentin Tarantino. The man is a literal directing and stylistic God. His movies look so crisp and fantastic, and each of them have such a unique and interesting stylised look towards them. The way he frames shots is excellent; the editing is immaculate; the lighting is flawless: Tarantino movies are some of the most stylish movies that have ever been made, and are a huge factor in the reason why Pulp Fiction is such a great movie. Even though they are GREAT directors, Kubrick, Hichock, Spielberg, Scorcese, Fincher, Coppola, Welles - none of them could recreate the magic of Pulp Fiction, because Tarantino is the only man alive capable of doing so.
Another major praise I can award the film is the sensational performances from all the cast. John Travolta is excellent as Vincent Vega and really shows that the man is capable of doing 'actual films' *cough* Battlefield Earth, yeah I know it came out after Pulp Fiction - be quiet *cough*. Accompanying Travolta is my personal favourite performance in this film: Samuel L Jackson as Jules. Holy Jesus was Jackson amazing in this movie. He sells every single scene he is in and was easily one of the best parts of this movie. The sheer raw emotion that he elicits at points makes me think that it wasn't acting; it was genuine frustration and anger. Also in this film is Uma Thurman{Dangerous Liaisons; Mad Dog and Glory}. Thurman was, surprise surprise, excellent in this movie. Despite not having a huge role, she sold every scene she was in and consistently gave me goosebumps in the simple way her and Travolta communicated. A man whom I did NOT know was in this movie was the great Bruce Willis. I knew that Travolta and Jackson and Thurman were all in this movie so I already knew they had some solid actors and a good cast. But then Willis showed up and I was blown away. We all know the man has impeccably action chops with the legendary film 'Die Hard', but up until now I hadn't really seen his dramatic capabilities. And let me tell you, he didn't disappoint. There are point in this movie were, similar to Jackson, I didn't actually believe that Willis was acting: merely existing. His performance was that authentic and realistic. A couple actors who had more minor roles but still did excellent jobs were Ving Rhames{The People under the stairs; Dave}, Harvey Keitel{Reservoir Dogs; Taxi Driver}, Tim Roth{Reservoir Dogs; Vincent and Theo} and Ammander Plummer{So I married an axe murdered; Joe Versus the Volcano}. Each of them definitely deserves praise for their performances.
The story for this movie was amazing. The point of it still escapes me but I'm pretty sure that was apart of Tarantino's genius intentions. I love the fact that it doesn't give you all the answers and the FANTASTIC way the film is structured. Like seriously! I usually like non-linear storytelling but this takes the cake for some of the most interesting method of storytelling that I've seen. Of course, I won't spoil it. But rest assured that it is certainly rewarding to watch, granted that you're paying attention!
A more minor praise that I can award this movie is the dialogue. It is SO good. Dialogue is usually one of Tarantino's strengths so I guess it's not a surprise but that doesn't detract from the sheer quality of it. Just something as simple as discussing cheeseburgers or asking about a watch are elevated to MEMORABLE scenes, purely based on Tarantino's phenomenal skill in writing.
I do have one flaw with this movie, but it's not REALLY a flaw. I think that the second act can feel a little disjointed and not work that well when watching the film for the first time. Granted, it does make sense overall, but that doesn't change the fact that it feels VERY misplaced and out of context. The is doubly apparent when you consider its content differs COMPLETELY from Acts I & III. Again, this isn't a major complaint and I still love this movie, but it's something I think deserves a mention.
Overall, I loved this movie. It's a modern day classic, and we have the cinematic genius Quentin Tarantino to thank for that. His style, his direction, his dialogue and his script are all PERFECT and are knitted together like a flawless quilt. It's remarkable how good the man is at what he does. I highly recommend this movie'. I'll rate 'Pulp Fiction' 10 'Royales With Cheese'!