THE INDISPENSIBLES - #18: PULP FICTION
Remember back when it was okay for us to be left to discover a Tarantino movie as being a ‘classic’ for ourselves, without being ‘told’ it was so before the film had even been released? Remember when the barrage of pop-culture riffing, obscure homaging and killer off-kilter soundtracks didn’t feel so ‘gimicky’ and loving the big-chinned maestro of great ‘geek’ cinema didn’t have to end with you inserting the words “… but, yeah, he does appear to be a bit of a twat doesn’t he?”
Ah, remember Pulp Fiction?
I like Kill Bill Volume 1 and Kill Bill Volume 2 a great deal. I think Death Proof is… well… erm… okay and I adore Jackie Brown so much that it is kind of interchangeable with this very movie at this very position in this here ‘chart’. Reservoir Dogs is unarguably one of the greatest directorial debuts too.
Pulp Fiction though? Man, you can’t help but see it for what it is… a genuine modern masterpiece. Watching it is not just a rejuvenation of writing or directing for the screen, nor is it about rejuvenating by-then-stale careers, but it’s also about rejuvenating cinema itself. You watch Pulp Fiction and, in its company, movies just feel so goddamn fresh!
In Issue # 26 of Off The Shelf, with regards to Pulp Fiction, I wrote “… A real modern masterpiece! A fantastic ‘difficult-second-movie’ from a very talented director! A genre-defining slice of gold! However, don’t forget that there’s been other ‘modern classics’ since and other directors who have excelled with their sophomore effort – the film is brilliant but let’s not worship it like a religion anymore okay?” I was having a bad day, I guess. Because when rewatching the film again for the purposes of writing these essays, you cannot help but get caught up in the wonders of Pulp Fiction. There’s a feeling of giddiness that comes over you whilst watching it, the very same feeling you experienced the first time you saw it. And for a film to evoke that in you after all these years and all those viewings, well, you have to call it for what it is… a special piece of cinema!
Even as I’m writing this review I feel as if I’m neglecting Jackie Brown, a film that deserves just as equally enthusiastic praise and kudos. That it isn’t the film I am writing this essay about came down to something as simple as a coin toss. That’s how conflicted I was about which of Tarantino’s films to place in the list.
Surely there cannot be anyone ignorant as to what Pulp Fiction is and of just what importance it is? Come on? Let me cater for you, the ignorant minority:
It is this batshit crazy crime drama with a nonlinear storyline, that’s known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, its ironic mix of humor and violence, and its host of cinematic and pop culture references. It went on to be nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture and, infamously, Best Supporting Actor (for Samuel L. Jackson who was caught on camera mouthing the word “Shit!” when he was beaten by Martin Landau for Ed Wood). Tarantino and co-writer Roger Avary won for Best Original Screenplay. It was also awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Pulp Fiction was a major commercial, critical success, it revitalised the career of its leading man, John Travolta, who received an Academy Award nomination but then pissed away the kudos, won it back, pissed it away again and… From Pulp Fiction to Wild Hogs? Come on John!
Wikipedia informs me that:
“… the title refers to the pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue. Pulp Fiction is self-referential from its opening moments, beginning with a title card that gives two dictionary definitions of “pulp”. The plot, in keeping with most of Tarantino’s other works, is presented out of chronological sequence. The picture’s self-reflexivity, unconventional structure, and extensive use of homage and pastiche have led critics to describe it as a prime example of postmodern film. Pulp Fiction is viewed as the inspiration for many later movies that adopted various elements of its style. The nature of its development, marketing, and distribution and its consequent profitability had a sweeping effect on the field of independent cinema. A cultural watershed, Pulp Fiction’s influence has been felt in several other popular media …”
And if that doesn’t get your mouth-watering at the prospect of watching it, or revisiting it, then you are no fan of cinema!
To this day there is much debate as to just how much of the screenplay is down to Tarantino and just how much is as a result of his co-authorship with Roger Avary. Tarantino certainly smarts at the idea that Avary would receive any credit for Pulp Fiction’s genius, but those in the know suggest that Avary’s fingerprints are more present on this work of art then Tarantino is prepared to admit. It is starting to become common knowledge that the film’s stand-out story - The Gold Watch segment and Butch’s journey as a result of it - is all down to Avary.
Read many a book - Killer Instinct, the making of Natural Born Killers, for example - and you get an idea as to just how high Tarantino’s ego flies. You could say that further evidence of Avary’s influence on the script lies in the fact that as brilliant as all of QT’s movies have been since, Jackie Brown aside, none have been quite as majestic as this. However, taking Avary’s career into account, Rules of Attraction excepted, he is in a bit of a worse off state when it comes to such comparisons. Whatever is the case, it doesn’t detract from the fact that Tarantino and Avary combined equals a film that will transcend time and eventually sit comfortably alongside the likes of Casablanca, Star Wars and other iconic stables of timeless iconic cinema.
Tarantino takes us into a world of adrenaline-shots to the heart (literally), rescues from sodomy with samurai swords, bible-quotes, dating your boss’ mistress because he tells you to, boxers with moral conundrums, mysterious suitcases and much, much more. There’s hitmen on a mission before one of them gets side-tracked with having to look after his gangster boss’ mistress, audacious anecdotes of gold watch heirlooms, boxers on the run after killing their opponent in the ring when he should have been taking a dive, diner-shop robberies, accidental shootings, not so accidental shootings and… I’m not doing the film justice am I? Go back and read that Wikipedia quote, instead.
Pulp Fiction is the only time you will ever welcome an assault. It is an assault on your senses, your sensibilities, your understanding of cinema. It has been much parodied. It has been oft-copied. But for what it is and what it is doing, it has never and probably will never be bettered.
And when the curse of the “difficult second movie” runs rampant, for Quentin Tarantino to side-step such a thing and deliver a modern masterpiece aching in cool, is very nearly as impressive as the film itself.
Related Posts:
- THE INDISPENSIBLES - #24: GROSSE POINTE BLANK
- THE INDISPENSIBLES - #14: DIE HARD
- THE INDISPENSIBLES - #7: THE VERDICT
- THE INDISPENSIBLES - #0: THE SET-UP
- THE INDISPENSIBLES - #12: SE7EN
14 Responses to “THE INDISPENSIBLES - #18: PULP FICTION”
Death Proof is shit. Just say it. You’ll feel better
**** you it’s a good movie.
I have a golden rule when it comes to movies starring the gorgeous and talented Rosario Dawson.
As bad as they are, we never call them such. We say “not good”.
So…
MEN IN BLACK is “not good”
DEATH PROOF is “not good”
ALEXANDER is “not good”
I gave DEATH PROOF a favourable review on this very site Grundy but it doesn’t hold up like any of his other movies, it has to be said.
Russell is awesome in it, the car chase is cool, but over time its gone very stale!
nonono
i rewatched the ending of deathproof like 10000 times…watching an asshole kill women and then get pwned by 3 chicks is sooooo good to my soul..
“no! please! i was joking! ah i was kidding! nooooo!!!!”
kurt russel lost his pride in that movie. what a great ending.
2 things..before i forget…
why is the time on your comments so horribly off? its 6:13 right now not whatever time is up here^^^
emble your videos! lmao! (unless for some reason you cant)
The time is showing the time here in Britain, because its a british ran site.
Although it is an hour off. It is showing as 12:14 but it is actually 11:14 now.
And for an explanation on that… I have no idea!
wow holy shit haha! its late as shit where you guys live…that suucks…
xD
oh its easier to emble the videos! but thats only because im a lazy shit and i dont want to click on your link
i used the word “shit” 3 times in the comment above. i just felt my IQ drop considerably
I hated Death Proof and more shockingly Jackie Brown. I’ve gone right off Tarantino which has even led me to have a bit of a turn against Pulp Fiction. I still haven’t bought it on DVD.
At the time Jackie Brown came out I was in my worshipping Tarantino phase and Elmore Leonard is one of my favourite authors and Rum Punch (the book Jackie Brown was based on) is possibly my favourite book of his, at the time it definitely was. Jackie Brown was full of pointless scenes and conversations, and dragged so much, with all these stupid Tarantinoisms thrown in. I mean Elmore Leonard’s known for his dialogue, but because it’s witty and economical, funny lines are just throw away lines and the plot is always advancing. Jackie Brown has a five minute monologue about AK47s.
For me Out of Sight is the best Elmore Leonard adaptation. People were saying that Tarantion and Leonard was a perfect match, nope Scott Frank and Leonard is. Not only did he write Out of Sight, but he also wrote the gleefully brilliant Get Shorty, because he respected the material, he didn’t think he was better than it.
I’m just starting to feel like Tarantino’s an one-tick pony these days. Exhibit A being the atrocious ‘Superman’ monologue from Kill Bill Vol 2, and the 70 odd minutes of conversation about absolutely nothing in Death Proof being exhibit B. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong with Inglorious Basterds, but I think his ego is out of control and his films have been declining in quality drastically since Pulp.
Easy answer: At the moment you have to manually update the time on the site because of Daylight Saving Time and I hadn’t remembered to do it. Now I have.
I think Jackie Brown is a great movie! You can see though, through exactly the examples you give, that it is teetering on that edge and only the utterly sublime performances are holding it back.
By Death Proof, the whole concept of a ‘Tarantino’ movie was plummeting over the cliff edge. I was salvating at the prospect of Inglourious Basterds… until Death Proof.
That movie made me think “Oh dear god, is he going to disappear up his own behind on that movie too?”
Well Jackie Brown was the moment where I started to become wary of Tarantino’s style and everything, I don’t think I’d have noticed if it wasn’t based on one of my favourite authors books, but it jumped out at me because of that and I’ve had a distaste for Tarantino films since. I enjoyed Kill Bill Vol. 1, didn’t think it was fantastic, but liked it, mainly because he seemed to have toned down his need for every character to have verbal diarrhea. Little did I know he was just saving it all up for Vol 2 and especially Death Proof!
Ooooh, be careful what you say about DEATH PROOF in front of Laura Donnelly, ha ha.
Check out the interview I did with her on the main page!
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