So yesterday- I hate to admit it- was the first time in 22 years of my existence that I viewed PULP FICTION by Quentin Tarantino! And it was so worth the 154 minute watch. Released in 1994, the year of my sister’s birth, this film was truly epic. You can’t beat Taratino’s construction of a film, in reverse chronology, sequencing a series of pivotal moments with powerful, punctual scenes. This composition reminds me slightly of ‘Seven Pounds’ starring Will Smith, whereby your brain is forced to operate when you follow the film, translating these separate moments and stringing them together like beads on a necklace. Each 15-25 minute clip or so, usually entitled with a miniature heading, introduces a main event whereby character demeanours are explored and you are invited to form a relationship with each individual one. I like that at the end you are rewarded with a moral conclusion with a wholehearted twist and wrapping up of the separate tales. The fact that your brain is ticking throughout the film, ensures the conclusion hits you with a much bigger impact and sense of viewer satisfaction- as if you’ve endured a really pleasant exam, where all your questions came up, you had sufficient time and at the end of it got an A grade. That is the sense of accomplishment I can liken Tarantino’s viewing experience with. Plus the fact that you feel a sense of righteousness and a direction of what to become thereafter in life, backed with a solid repertoire of knowledge. You can’t compare the learning experience of a film with any other. It is so potent and memorable; you can recall the weirdest things, accompanied by music and colour, not just words.
Pulp is a sturdy 8.4 out of ten, whereas Django Unchained (2013) got awarded a rough 7ish, from personal assessment. I watched the latter a week prior to Pulp Fiction. ‘Lucky number Sleven’ (Josh Hartnett) is a bloody good watch too, and still remains one of the most potent films I’ve seen from this director. I can liken Pulp Fiction to a really good slice of warm home-made pie, with a crispy pastry base, an indulgent central viscous layer and a richly intense flavour of deep treacle. Only a tiny bit of single cream draped on one side though, it doesn’t require too much diluting or muting, as the pie is so darn satisfying itself. Oh and the thick central body has those textural, gritty bits in. Yum.
My favourite character is a combination of two- ‘Butch’ played by Bruce Willis and Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) the wealthy, ‘big dog’ gangster you definitely don’t want to bugger off. Butch is the prideful, independent and strong headed boxer who is part of a nice revenge scene about ¾ of the way through. He manages to repay his debt to Wallace in an act of male cooperation and transferring the torture trial to two other sub characters (who are atrociously weird may I add). That moment when Butch decides to return and salvage Wallace after escaping was my favourite of the movie, showcasing man’s hunger for opportunity, pronouncing their newly found position of power and executing payback to those who deserve it.
It was beautifully strung together with absolutely none of the motion picture becoming a drag or less stimulating than the rest. I liked the crispy, classic feel and theme of the film’s context, with drugs, gangsters, style and indulgence being high on the agenda. Samuel L was a boss as usual, even if he became somewhat of a hippie towards the end. His slowed, authoritative monologues made the film. It had moments that made it quite odd from the speeches of some characters, but I kind of like that; unconventional, unpredictable and rich.
