An Astonishing Kaleidoscope of Crime & Culture.

PULP FICTION 
(1994)

*ALL-TIME AWESOME*

Directed by- Quentin Tarantino

Written by- Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary

*John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Harvey Keitel

Quentin Tarantino's ode to his geeky, cinephilic fantasies plays out smoothly, unfolding its non-chronological coils through punchy dialogues and a charming reminiscence of the world of hardboiled fiction, of course with a unique flavor of its own.


Every character is etched out expertly. I mean from Paul the bartender to Tarantino's Jimmie, everyone is an individual who exists in this world and adds a distinct color which makes the world itself so appealing.
Of course, it's the realer than real dialogues which provide this eccentric individuality, but there's also credit to be given to the bang-on casting.


Then there's the music. Delicately handpicked tracks which push this locomotive of irrepressible entertainment ever forward. The music sinks in the L.A. atmosphere like deliciousness in a five-dollar milkshake and becomes one with the narrative.




Tarantino displays an undeniable flair in directing every moment of this excessively enjoyable pop culture phenomenon. The best part being, of course, you're absolute obliviousness to what comes next (in case it's a first watch). But his direction of these scenes is so masterful that you appreciate, if even you anticipate, every bit of it.

Marcellus Wallace rising like a dragon from behind a katana-wielding Butch, and cocking his shotgun is an image that stays with you forever. Quite like looking up at the two hitmen chit-chatting about men's stuff while packing heat, from inside a car trunk.

Pulp Fiction is full of these wonderful images that have become an enduring part of the movie-going world's collective memory.

Step aside, Butch. Time to get medieval.

But more than the music, more than the flawless acting, more than the fluid camerawork and impeccable editing, it is Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary's unparalleled writing which makes Pulp Fiction the masterpiece it is.
Obviously, the dialogues are quite simply, legendary. There is not one syllable uttered here that goes to waste.
The screenplay ranks among the few hallowed classics in Hollywood, of which every line adds to the movie's stature and contributes to make it the perfect blend that it is.

Also, it's the handling of the non-linear storytelling which provides the film with its zany and unpredictable vibe. The first time I watched it, I simply had no idea what to expect, as sequence after sequence introduced me to a new level of awesome.

Now who wouldn't wanna massage these feet?

But one thing, which I believe is responsible more than everything else, for Pulp Fiction's unquestioned induction among one of the Greatest American Films ever made is its insane re-watch value which comes from, again the richness of the script. 
It's like unwrapping the best Christmas present you ever got over and over again. Because every time you do it, you find something new.

I remember in my last two viewings I discovered that:

a) It was Butch who keyed Vincent's Malibu. I probably didn't pay much attention to the conversation with Lance before, but this time it got me and how!

b) Yolanda shouts her lines differently at the beginning and the end of the film from the scene which is played twice. This one perplexes me still, and I am pretty convinced it rivals Marcellus Wallace's briefcase, as the biggest mystery in the film.

Forget the briefcase, but did this scene hint at alternate timelines?!

Pulp Fiction, without a doubt remains one of the most original and entertaining classics of modern cinema. A kaleidoscope of suburban crime tales interwoven with the precision of a master craftsman and delivered in an explosive fashion that will knock you cold every single time you watch it.

Rating- 4.7/5