Pulp Fiction

Undoubtedly one of the best films of 1994, Pulp Fiction in essence is little more than a collection of three stories about gangsters and the criminal underworid in LA, inspired by Black Mask magazine and the B movies of the 5Os. As Tarantino has said, each of these stories has been told a zillion times. What makes them a little different is the way the script bursts onto unexpected and at times pretty weird twists and tums - into the cellar of two S&M rapists, the accidental blowing off of a man's head in a car; or an adrenalin shot in the heart.

Instead of the usual use of dialogue to move the plot along, the dialogue in Pulp Fiction is often only there to add depth to the otherwise stereotyped characters - and to entertain with verve and sparkling wit. Vincent Vega (John Travolta) isn't just a mindless hitman like Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs: he's a sceptic who talks about foot massage, reads Modesty Blaise on the toilet and knows what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in Paris.

The film also has some excellent performances. Samuel L. Jackson is truly brilliant as Jules, the repentant killer. In the last scene Jackson acts with such conviction and force that it's easy to think he wasn't just reciting his lines - he really believed them. The entire Academy Awards committee should be forced to watch Forrest Gump non-stop for the next year for not giving him the best actor Oscar.

One criticism of Pulp Fiction is that it's just a "cool-as-fuck" movie, devoid of any serious content or novel insights. It's certainly no Seventh Seal but, then, it is a little more subtle than Judge Dredd. If you want a fun night out with some friends, then make going to see Pulp Fiction part of that night. If you take offence at some gratuitous violence, and hearing the word 'muthafucka' about 500 times, you should stay home tonight, sit in front of the telly with a mug of cocoa, and watch Murder, She Wrote.

Review by Matthew Bull
Taken from EUFS Programme 1995-96