Pulp Fiction: Review

Pulp Fiction is deservedly at the top of most people's favourite movies of all time. The only reasons this should not be the case is if you have not seen it, or you did not pay attention the entire time. Directed by the notoriously unforgiving Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction follows the stories of two hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife and two diner bandits. These stories all tie together in some sort of fashion, with smaller-scale events happening in-between. 

One of the most notable aspects of Pulp Fiction is the huge cast assembled. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel all feature just to name a few, and nobody lowers the movie from anything but amazing. The cleverly written script makes Pulp Fiction more enjoyable than countless other films, raising it above anything but average. The fact that Quentin Tarantino can easily get away with using many offensive curse words and racial slurs is a testament to how engrossing the dialogue in the movie truly is, with almost any line being acceptable to have on your grave-stone without anybody questioning it. 

In my opinion, the most enjoyable scene amongst the sea of perfection is that featuring Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta), where they go to repay an offence against the main gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) in the film. This shines as probably my favourite scene in any movie I have ever seen, simply due to it's sheer enjoyability. Samuel L. Jackson has an entire Biblical monologue which will remain in your mind for days after viewing, and the use of burger-talk previously spoken in order to verbally torture their victims is incredibly entertaining. That's what's so unique about Quentin Tarantino as a director: his films contain dialogue which sounds so real and everyday. 

Samuel L. Jackson 

It's difficult to review Pulp Fiction, because there's literally almost nothing wrong with it. The only fault I can think of is that during the sequence featuring Butch (Bruce Willis) and his girlfriend Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros), the film seems to slightly slow down, but this almost could be taken as a positive, so to prepare the viewer for the shocking events which are about to take place. It would probably be appropriate to say that Pulp Fiction is not suitable for anybody who requires parental guidance, as like previously mentioned it contains many, many profanities, with an average use of "F**K" every 30 seconds. If you can handle the fast-paced, brutal action and the superbly written script, Pulp Fiction will be one of the best movie experiences you ever have the pleasure of undertaking. 

One final thing which is more than worthy of mentioning is how effective the musical score is for the film. The opening sequence ends with an incredibly fast, adrenaline-fuelling song, which effortlessly transitions into the more hip "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & The Gang. The soundtrack is, along with the movie itself, one of my very favourites, with songs being timed perfectly to fit with the on-screen events. 

Verdict

Pulp Fiction is unforgiving, violent, controversial and at times rude. Yet it is also one of the best pieces of cinema ever made, providing countless hours of repeated viewings each as enjoyable as the last. Everybody will find something unique they loved about the film, even if other parts shock or offend you.    9.8/10

"Oh I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?" 

Uma Thurman