Pulp Fiction

The cult 1992 film Reservoir Dogs was a hit with critics and audiences upon release, and it made Quentin Tarantino a name to look out for, and he went one step further in 1994 with the huge success of Pulp Fiction. Some directors start strong but can't quite live to the bar they set themself while Tarantino shot off into the stratosphere with even more hits to follow. Is it his best film? That is hard to say but it is likely the first one that comes to mind for many when the director's name is mentioned.

The film features several stories that intertwine over the course of several days in Los Angeles. One follows two hitmen carrying out orders from their boss, Marsellus Wallace. Meanwhile, another story sees a boxer instructed by Wallace to intentionally lose a fight and he'll be richly rewarded if he agrees. And there's more but I don't want to spoil it all. 

It had been many years since I last saw this but I, like so many others, ranked it highly since my days studying films at college. Were you even a true fan if you hadn't seen this?! Pulp Fiction was highly influential for filmmaking wannabes and for those in the industry, all hoping to replicate Tarantino's success with the mix of sudden violence, quick-witted dialogue but then also the slower paced dialogue letting scenes sit for a moment. Many imitators came and went but no one quite does Tarantino like he can. 

And so over 30 years later, Pulp Fiction comes in strong and had to me hooked from the get-go with the opening scene before the title sequence with plenty of licenced music that completes the experience. It's a whole lot of fun and remains just as entertaining today, thanks in many ways due to its fantastic cast. But it pains me to say that I found a weakness in the film that I couldn't recall when I last watched it all those years ago...

Bruce Willis is great in this but unfortunately his taxi scene and then the following scenes with his character's girlfriend were quite a drop in quality at the midway point. Nothing to do with Bruce I should add who is on top form throughout. The taxi scene was weird and its only purpose was to deliver a piece of information to Willis' character and goes on for too long. Meanwhile, the scenes with the girlfriend drag on, removing any urgency with some particularly weak dialogue from Tarantino and will be one I may choose to skip next time around. Everything else is top-notch but these moments really struck out to me on this watch. 

Everything else in Pulp Fiction makes it the classic it is today. The story takes many interesting twists and turns, and Tarantino does a great job to bring all the moving pieces together in a way remains entertaining to this day. I just wish I could call it flawless but I still had a lot of fun and remains one of his best.