The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
I’ve watched “Pulp Fiction” at least 50 times. Only a handful of films boast that kind of “re-watchability” factor: “Some Like It Hot,” “Ghostbusters,” “Back to the Future,” “Goodfellas,” “The Princess Bride,” “Boogie Nights,” “Donnie Darko,” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” immediately come to mind. While my esteemed colleague and site editor James regards “Reservoir Dogs” as Quentin Tarantino’s best film — and it inarguably laid the foundation upon which the QT empire was built — in my opinion, it was “Pulp Fiction” that cemented the auteur extraordinaire’s reputation as one of the most influential filmmakers of our time. Even when compared to the cinematic classics from whom it so blatantly borrows, “Pulp Fiction” reigns supreme. It may just be the Best Film Ever Made. You heard me.
Its countless nods to other movies could’ve easily amounted to a strung-together series of badly-rendered pastiches. Instead, it felt like the ultimate cinematic “remix,” QT twisting classics inside out. His second feature spawned my obsession with cinema. I was way too young when I watched it for the first time. I remember being so enthralled by the unconventional structure, flawless ensemble cast, startling violence, pitch-black humor, extraordinary soundtrack, and infinitely quotable dialogue that I immediately rewound the VHS tape and watched it again, and later proceeded to quote Jules’s “Ezekiel 25:17” speech, verbatim, to my shocked parents. I later sought out every film QT referenced, which broadened my knowledge and added to my appreciation of how cunningly the man utilized these references.
Where to even begin? The casual way the thin-tie-sporting gangsters Vincent (John Travolta, never better) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson, never better) discuss the infamous Royale with Cheese before murdering the men that stole from their boss Marcellus (Ving Rhames, never better)? The profoundly poignant sequences between Butch (Bruce Willis, never better) and Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros)? Captain Koons’s (Christopher Walken) extended watch monologue? Mr. Wolf’s (Harvey Keitel) instruction manual on how to get rid of a body? That dance scene with Mia (Uma Thurman)? Or perhaps Lance (Eric Stoltz) resurrecting an overdosed Mia, and that drive home after (“ketchup”)? The bookending sequence at the diner, wherein hoodlums Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) suddenly seem pathetic next to Jules’s power / existential crisis? I won’t even mention that BDSM gimp moment (oops, too late). There isn’t a bad scene in the entire film. Not a single redundant second.
The film’s structure is not merely a gimmick. It emphasizes certain things and makes other things apparent upon the second, fifth, or fifteenth viewing. It mimics life itself, which refuses to follow a conventional narrative. There’s real depth here, real fleshed-out characters, not just sadistic shells of human beings spouting pseudo-cool nonsense (see: this year’s pale QT imitator “Bullet Train”). Much has been made of the film’s “racism” and graphic portrayal of violence — it certainly would have never been made today in WokeLand (“Oh, I’m sorry, did I break your concentration?”)— but luckily, nothing has been censored or canceled, and QT’s art endures.
Many filmmakers have tried to emulate QT’s style (the phrase “Tarantinoesque” was soon coined), but most, if not all, failed miserably. “Pulp Fiction” did so well at the box office that Miramax, in an unprecedented move, gave the filmmaker full reign of his consecutive projects. “Jackie Brown” soon followed, and while it got a mixed critical reception (expectations skyrocketed after “Pulp Fiction” ’s success, making it virtually impossible to live up to them), it showcased a more relaxed, “mature” side of QT, as well as his knack for reviving careers of nearly-forgotten actors. He’s made multiple films since. Yet “Pulp Fiction” remains his unparalleled masterpiece, a feat of unbridled imagination and tremendous talent, an amalgamation of cinema’s best moments, AND an entirely original work by a master. To rewatch it for the 51st time – in stunning 4K, no less – is an absolute pleasure.
Available on 4K Ultra HD™ For The First Time Ever December 6th
