Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994): USA
Reviewed by William Halford. Viewed on DVD.
Pulp Fiction is the quintessential cult classic film. Those who know it love it, and those who don’t could care less. This review is for the latter group. Some say the humor is grotesque and childish but, if they understood the intentions for such crude comedy they might think it ingenious.
From the 1920s to the 1950s, fictional short story magazines gained popularity due to their exaggerated plots scattered with explicit details of crimes and/or sexual matters. These magazines got their name from the cheap wood pulp on which they were printed, as opposed to the family magazines, or “glossies,” that were printed on better paper. Like the film industry, the pulps suffered as competitors to television. Unfortunately, a lack of capital from rising wood prices, an effect of WWII, added to this downfall in production, sending pulps into the septic system that is pop-art.
Director and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino dredged the pulps back up in this hilarious flick, pushing the boundaries of coincidence and reality. He cleverly weaves three separate stories together in his personal non-linear style. The first story follows hit man, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) on the night that he takes care of his boss’ wife. Vega is nervous at the beginning, because everyone knows that Marsellus, the boss, threw a man from a penthouse balcony just for giving the lady a foot massage. The second story follows a boxer named Butch, played by Bruce Willis, on the craziest day of his life, when fails to botch the fight he was paid to throw, and ends up sitting tied up in a pawnshop basement with a gag ball in his mouth. The third story follows Vega and his hit man partner Jules, played by Samuel L. Jackson, during their debacle with a snitch while they discuss the implications of a foot massage and European Big Macs. Tarantino chops each story, and changes the chronological order so at first glance it seems chaotic, but is beautifully tied together at the end.
We all know that Tarantino loves his guns but compared to Reservoir Dogs, this film goes light on the gore. The film’s blood and guts are rationalized by the pulp short stories it attempts to replicate, and the film also does an effective job at rivaling the intricate plot twists found in the best pulps. Pulp Fiction is a satisfying break from reality that leaves you awestruck at the totality of ridiculousness within the script, and at Tarantino’s blatant cinematic thefts. Regardless of originality, this film has crisp comedic script that refuses to let you leave without wondering what would you do if you saw a man giving your girl a foot massage?
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