Hey everyone, and welcome to a new, and belated throwback review. Yes I know Once Upon A Time In Hollywood came out last weekend but I was away, and I didn’t have much time to work on the blog, and there were some other posts that were a bigger priority. But now where finally here to talk about the first film I have ever seen in its entirety from Quentin Tarantino. I mean I have heard about him, and how acclaimed his work is, and I’ve seen bits and pieces of it but this is the first time I have been able to sit down and just watch something from him. That film is of course what we are going to be taking a look at today with Pulp Fiction, his sophomore film after the release of his first feature, Reservoir Dogs. I had always know about this film for a while but again, only saw like one or two clips from it, all I knew about it was most of the cast, it was an anthology, and the fact that there were two hit-man in it. Now after finally having seen this film I can safely say I can see why Tarantino has gotten so much acclaim for his work.
In this movie there are four different stories at play, each having little connections to each other sprinkled throughout. We start off with a couple named Pumpkin, and Honey Bunny in a diner discussing what they should rob next before attempting to rob the place themselves. After that short scene we cut to two hit man carrying out a job to find crime boss, Marssellus Wallace’s briefcase before, and after that our first story titled “Vincent Vega and Marssellus Wallace’s wife” begins. It follows, well, Vincent Vega after he purchases some heroin from a drug dealer, as he agrees to escort Marssellus’s wife, Mia Wallace, while he is out of town and they head out to a 1950’s style diner. The next story titled ” The Gold Watch” follows a character we briefly meet in the first prelude a champion boxer named Butch who betray’s Marssellus when he wins a match he was not told to lose. He, and his girlfriend, Fabienne have a plan in place to escape Las Angeles. Before they can get out though, Butch realizes Fabienne forgot his prized golden watch that was a heirloom passed on by his father, and his father’s father at the old apartment. He sets out to get that watch, and let’s just say he runs through a lot of complications in this mission. Then there’s “The Bonnie Situation” which once again follows these two hit-men as they attempt to clean up their car at a friend’s house after accidentally killing one of the guys from the apartment they raided, and quickly before the owner of the house’s wife returns from work. Then we return to where we started in the epilogue know as “the Diner” where one of the hitmen, Jules Winnfield ponders, and questions his purpose in life. How are they all connected? Well that’s something to find out for yourself isn’t it?
In theory this movie should not work. It takes important elements of making a film like screenplay, and plot structure, and just turns it on its head, not even having one clear plot line, major conflict or big character arc! There is absolutely no way this can turn out anything other than an ambitious mess. And yet somehow, in some way this film pulls it off in huge spades in a way only Quentin Tarantino can accomplish. He has never been one to play it safe when it comes to telling stories, and here he just goes and makes a film that just feels like its own beast, and is not afraid to take risk with unconventional approach to telling this story. Heck there really isn’t much of a clear story-line here, it is basically just a look into the lives of these different characters, and if anything its a movie of just people talking, and interacting with each other with some small moments of tension, and action, and yet I was invested throughout, and never got bored once. One of the reasons that’s the case is how vaguely connected these stories are, and yet their written in a way that makes the audience want to see how they all connect in the end, and there are many little tiny details to pay attention to in order to figure out this fractured anthology ties together. Its written in such a way that is so clever, and interesting, that’s hard to take your eyes off of it, and I found every story to be interesting, memorable, funny, intense, and surprisingly impactful. Yet even with that, I think the thing that makes this film work so well is Tarantino’s script which is just gold. The way character go from talking fluffy light chit chat to hilariously dark humor (So many F-bombs in this movie) to serious monologues, and how we go from these funny conversations concerning pop culture (many references both blatant, and subtle) to these violent encounters works in a way that doesn’t make the tone feel inconsistent but instead fits in perfectly. Speaking of those conversations the dialogue is just so glorious with every single line being quotable, and that doubly impressive because how of how casual it feels, yet every single time character’s speak there is always real weight to it. This is also one great film to analyze as there are many different meanings, and messages that people can, and have gotten out of it. I mean the film gets downright existential, and nihilistic at times, and there are good examples of subtle imagery, and symbolism used throughout. I think I agree the most on Mark T. Conrad’s stance on the film, and its hidden messages as he wrote a very fascinating, and in depth analysis which contains things like how things are made sense in Jules, and Vega’s lives through pop culture, and how their value in life is determined by Marssellus since he seems to be the highest level of authority in this town, the way the meaning of violence changes as the film goes one, and so much more that got me thinking more, and more. I will leave a link down below if your interested, because trust me we could be here all day talking about this film, and its hidden meanings, and undertones (though one day it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do a full on analysis like that).
This is the first Tarantino film I have seen and yet I already love his craftsmanship on display. What can I say that hasn’t been say about the man’s directing that hasn’t already been said before? It’s just incredible film-making! I love the way he shoots scenes using wide shots to truly feel lived in with the setting, and how the audience can see everything that’s going on, and close ups to feel like we are close with these characters, and to build up extreme tension in certain scenes (the diner scene, and the apartment raid are two perfect examples of this). In fact he builds tension in other ways like using the film’s slow burn pace, to build up a scene so it feels like something could happen in any moment. There are also times that feel like a third person video game when he shots the characters walking from behind, which also builds up a lot of tension, and puts you in their shoes. The production value here is equally impressive really capturing the small town Las Angeles feeling very well, and also containing many pop culture references (this especially applies to the Jack Rabbit slim diner). Of course what would a Quentin Tarantino movie be without some of his classic trademarks, that even I could recognize easily. That includes his fake product placement (in this case red apple cigarettes, although there is an iconic conversation about McDonald’s in Europe, and the Big Royale with cheese), his fetish for feet (when Jules, and Vincent are discussing of whether giving another man’s wife a foot message is a big deal or not), and Tarantino himself playing a small role in the film (Here it’s Jules’s friend Jimmie who is not happy with these hitmen bringing in a dead body into his house). Oh, and how could I forget the way he uses music here. This film actually does not have an official score, and instead utilizes a bunch of classic songs to great effect. Some of the ones that come off the top of my head are the surfer song, “Misirlou”, which plays during the opening credits, “You Can Never Tell” by Chuck Berry playing during Vincent, and Mia’s dance in the Jack Rabbit Slim’s dancing competition, Urge Overkill’s “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” playing when Mia is dancing while Vincent thinks to himself how to take her on “not a date”, and countless more that I’d highly recommend checking out.
You might notice that Tarantino likes to cast a lot of the same people in his movies, and that is the case here with almost all of the major players returning in a future film. After seeing their work here, its not very hard to see why. Let’s start off by talking about the two hitmen themselves, Vincent Vega, and Jules Winnfield played by none other than John Travolta, and Samuel L. Jackson. They play off each other wonderfully, having some of the funniest conversations in the film, and their both fascinating individuals in their own right. Travolta does a nice job of capturing Vincent’s cool, and chill personality (or in the case of what happens to Mia, total panic) and Jackson is just electrifying as Jules nailing his calm demeanor, and his fiery, and spiritually passionate personality (that diner scene gave me goosebumps, and the apartment scene managed to be hilarious, scary, and shocking all at once). In the case of Jules I really liked how he decides to quit being a hit man after believing he was saved by a miracle in an apartment shoot out, and he starts to question the morality of his actions, and starts wondering what the Bible quote, Ezekiel 25:17 really means. He is a really fascinating character with a fantastic Oscar worthy performance, and he is one of my favorite character in movies. We also have the Bride herself, Uma Thurman, as Mia Wallace, wife of Marssellus Wallace, and a former actress for a TV show that never got past the pilot stage. Her character is a bit of mysterious person who is really interested in people, and their conversations. She too plays off of Travolta really well as they something mutual starts to develop between them after, well something happens at her house. As for Marssellus himself, Ving Rhames delivers a solid performance as the menacing, and no nonsense crime boss, who is not someone you want to mess around with (just ask Zed). Then there’s Bruce Willis as Butch Coolidge, the boxer who betrayed Marssellus, and like Jules he is a character who can be calm, and confident in one scene, but then totally lose his s**** in the next when he loses his watch, and he gets a pretty satisfying pay off in the end. Meanwhile Tim Roth, and Amanda Plummer give wonderfully crazy turns as thieving couple Pumpkin, and Honey Bunny. There are plenty of other colorful characters with actors giving very fun performances such as Maria De Medeiros as Butch’s naive french girlfriend, Fabienne, Eric Stoltz as Vincent’s drug dealer, Lance, Christopher Walkin as Butch’s father’s air force partner during the Vietnam War, Captain Koons, and Harvey Keitel as the soft spoken cleaner who help Vince, and Jules out with their predicament, Winston Wolfe, among others. Its amazing how how each actor is able to leave a lasting impression even if some of them aren’t even in the film that much!
Okay, now I really have to see this guy’s other movies if this is any indication! Pulp Fiction is a perfect crime story(s) that manages to makes its non chronological order work thanks to Tarantino’s script, the way everything ties together, the masterful craftsmanship, the kicka** soundtrack, the complex, and fun characters who are a joy to watch, and the game performances behind them. Its just perfect in every way! It may not be for everyone (I mean it depends on how much you like Tarantino’s work), but for me it one of my new favorites, and it is a perfect example of a small indie film hitting it big, and showing as the movies aren’t just for the biggest action packed blockbusters. Finally, most importantly it cemented Quentin Tarantino as one of the finest, and most influential filmmakers today, and I am ready for whatever he does next. So if you haven’t seen it yet, buy that Royale with cheese, and that $5.00 milkshake, and see for yourself what you think!
Rating: A+
Leave your thoughts down below in the comments, and see you guys later!
Oh, and here’s the link to Mark T. Conrad’s fascinating analysis on the film, that I recommend reading after watching the film: https://philosophynow.org/issues/19/Symbolism_Meaning_and_Nihilism_in_Quentin_Tarantinos_Pulp_Fiction
Review Time 