Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, Uma Thurman, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Amanda Plummer
Pulp Fiction combines elements of crime drama, human comedy, and smart dialogue. They mostly fit, although there are a couple of scenes that drag on too long and should have been trimmed. But, Pulp Fiction remains an influential film that marked the arrival of writer/director Quentin Tarantino. His movies have been hit and miss since then, but there is no denying his influence. Pulp Fiction plays with its chronology so a character who seemingly died midstream is "resurrected" and its criminals actually discuss things other than how they will kill their next victim. Tarantino himself has been guilty in recent years of being excessive with his violence, film length, and bouts of endless dialogue. It is as if he is trying to show his imitators who the master is.
Pulp Fiction tells numerous tales in Los Angeles' criminal underworld. Following the opening credits, we see hitmen Jules (Jackson) and Vincent (Travolta) on their way to a meeting with some punks who ripped off their unforgiving boss Marcellus Wallace (Rhames). They discuss Vincent's recent trip to Europe, with Vincent explaining what Quarter Pounders with cheese are called in France. ("Royale with cheese"). They are so loose that you may not even realize they will be killing people in the next few minutes. There is also discussion of why Marcellus Wallace threw a guy out of a window because he allegedly gave Wallace's wife a foot massage. This sets up the next sequence where Vincent is asked by Wallace to take his wife Mia (Thurman) out on the town while he's away.
Things don't go as planned. Vincent finds himself in a crisis when Mia snorts heroin and overdoses. He calls on his drug dealer friend Lance (Stoltz) to help out. This requires an injection to her heart and they only have one shot at making it work. Vincent is terrified, not so much for Mia, but for what will happen to him if Mia dies on his watch. Marcellus Wallace is not a man to be trifled with, as boxer Butch (Willis) learns when he does not throw a fight as instructed. Or as the guys in the apartment in the beginning learn. When he tells someone, "I'm going to get medieval on your ass," you can take it to the bank. And it won't be pleasant.
There are more plot twists involving Willis, Rhames, and Travolta. They do not roll out predictably. Things happen that are unexpected and deadly. A main character is killed off much to our surprise, but then returns in a flashback segment. Why did Tarantino write the film this way? Perhaps to confound the audience and surprise it. Or to shake up the tried and true method of movie chronology. We learn later in the movie why we see Travolta and Jackson in t-shirts and shorts after their first scene shows them in suits. Or why Jules was not present at a crucial time which likely would have resulted in certain death for him had he been there. And there is an unanticipated conclusion to the feud between Wallace and Butch which actually involves some sort of redemption for Butch. Although he still has to leave town because, according to Wallace, "You've lost your L.A. privileges."
Little dialogue touches like that make Pulp Fiction go. I haven't even mentioned a restaurant robbery conducted by two lovers (Roth and Plummer), who decide to rob the place for the hell of it. They meet up with Jules and Vincent with another set of unintended consequences and resolutions. Just when you think a story arc will play out one day, Tarantino goes against the grain and resolves it in a more satisfying way that flies in the face of convention.
Three of the movie's performances were Oscar nominated, with Tarantino's screenplay winning. Travolta for Best Actor, Jackson for Best Supporting Actor, and Thurman for Best Supporting Actress. All were richly deserved. Jackson's directness and frankness plays very well off of Travolta's half-stoned Vincent. They bicker and disagree like an old married couple, but we sense they have worked together so long that this is part of the routine. Thurman's Mia is a woman aching for some excitement since her life as a mob wife doesn't give her much. She gets more than she bargains for. She clearly devours Tarantino's juicy dialogue in her scenes with Vincent. Ving Rhames did not receive awards consideration, but he is no less memorable. He doesn't mince words and exercises longstanding authority. When asked at a crucial juncture if he's ok, he responds in the way only Wallace can: "No, I'm pretty fucking far from ok."
A couple of scenes, including a cab driver's conversation with Butch and Butch's scenes with his girlfriend, run far too long. Trim those and you have a near perfect movie. Pulp Fiction retains a lot of its wit and ingenuity after twenty plus years. The themes of Jules' redemption and Butch's remain thoughtful. Jules decides to walk out on the criminal life after surviving a near death experience. It won't be easy, but his journey in the final third of the film retains a certain power.
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