Rising from the obscure position of video store clerk, Quentin Tarantino attended a filmmaking workshop and with a miniscule budget, wrote and directed "Reservoir Dogs," which received mixed reviews. Two years later, his next film, "Pulp Fiction," premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and a legend was born.

"Pulp Fiction" won the grand prize at the festival, made $100 million at the domestic Box Office, was nominated for 7 Academy Awards (Winner: Best Original Screenplay), and resurrected the career of John Travolta and gave careers to Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman. Even today, the fan base for "Pulp Fiction" continues to grow, and more and more wannabe filmmakers worship Quentin Tarantino and try to recreate the magic of "Pulp Fiction." Unsuccessfully, of course. The question, though, is why does "Pulp Fiction" work? Why do people love it so? It's based on one thing that many filmmakers overlook: the dialogue.

Many films have been said to have a quotable line for every piece of dialogue. The only film, I think, to have ever truly achieved this, is "Pulp Fiction." It's not just what the characters say, but where they say it, how they say it, and when they say it. Take for example, near the beginning of the film, the sequence where Vincent and Jules (John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson), two hitmen, drive to their next job, and talk about food in Europe and foot massages. In any other film, they would be talking about the upcoming job and how they will kill their targets. In any other film, it the director would find it necessary to make sure the audience knows what's going on and what they are doing. The beauty of this sequence, is that we don't care who these guys are, where they are going, and what they are going to do. We accept that these are two guys, driving and talking. We are too absorbed by the characters to care about what they plan to do. By the time that we find out that they are criminals and murderers, we don't mind because we already like them, and care for them as if we actually know them. Other characters also gain the audience's trust over time. When we first meet Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman), she's snorting cocaine. This act has a mostly negative affect on the audience, therefore it comes as a surprise in the next scenes where she's just a quirky, likable woman whom we can probably all relate to in one way or another. The third way we grow to like a character in "Pulp Fiction" is by making a grand entrance with enough bravura to knock your socks off. Winston Wolf (Harvey Keitel) is a man who solves problems (like disposing of pesky dead bodies). From his first mildly comic appearance, to his first over-the-top line of dialogue, he is in obvious contrast to the rest of the characters in the film. Rather than relate to him, we see him as a character. His direct nature and superiority to the other characters is refreshing. We like him the moment he appears.

In addition to creating memorable characters, Tarantino's writing develops countless classic scenes: the car ride mentioned above, a meal at a 1950s nostalgia restaurant, an ill-fated visit to a Pawn Shop, and a breakfast in a diner that you will never forget. The writing will make you laugh, make you think, shock you, and excite you. It's nearly impossible to classify "Pulp Fiction" into a specific genre. Over the course of his films, Quentin Tarantino has practically created his own personal genre. "Pulp Fiction" begins as a drama, becomes a comedy-drama, then a romantic comedy, then a hard-edged drama, then an even harder edged drama that turns uglier than any other bad situation you've ever seen in a movie. Things take a drastic turn when it becomes a dark comedy of the best standards, and then ends as a drama. When one talks about the continuity of "Pulp Fiction," you must bring up the timeline. The movie takes place out of order. The end of the STORY is at the middle of the movie, and the end of the MOVIE takes place near the beginning of the STORY. Sound weird? It seems so, but this is not a gimmick. The end of the story would not work well as the end of the movie. The beginning of the story does not happen first, but instead it shows something happens after it. The film is set up in such a way, the timeline so strangely precise, that when we finally understand what happens at what time, it comes as a pleasant surprise. Quentin Tarantino makes it all work, and proves himself to be not only the most influential filmmakers of his generation, but one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.

I can't end this critique without mentioning the cast. Tarantino resurrected a career-dead '70s actor named John Travolta for the role of Vincent Vega, the lovable dopey hitman and got an Oscar nod. He created quite a career for Samuel L. Jackson as Jules, Vincent's Bible quoting partner. He too, got an Oscar nod. Uma Thurman also received a nomination as Mia Wallace, the wife of crime boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames, very good in his role), whom Vincent is asked to take out to dinner while the husband is out of town. Bruce Willis plays Butch, a boxer paid by Marsellus to throw a fight, but wins it instead and finds himself in a situation straight out of hell itself. Eric Stoltz is your friendly neighborhood drug dealer, and Rosanna Arquette is his wife. They both give wonderful performances in small roles. Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer are two small-time criminals who figure in the film's opening and closing. They are excellent in the roles, but the purpose of the roles is much deeper. They represent redemption and what someone can be in a better world. The cast is rounded out by Christopher Walken in a flashback, where he delivers a five minute monologue; quite possibly the best speech in film history. Only Walken could have made a monologue like this. Every character is memorable, and will stay with you forever.

What makes "Pulp Fiction" superior to other crime films like "The Godfather," is it's deeper meaning. "The Godfather" is a damn good film with excellent characters, but it never tries to make a point. "Pulp Fiction" is a damn great film with excellent characters and it tries to make a point. What is the point? I won't tell you. Each viewer must come up with his own meaning of the film. It will mean something different to everyone.

pulp: 1. a soft, moist shapeless mass of matter. 2. A magazine of book containing lurid subject matter and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper.

"Pulp Fiction" is shapeless because it's so many different things. It contains lurid subject matter, but backs it up with other themes. It's not rough, though. It's near perfect.

It's not for everyone. It contains several deaths (one pretty graphic), it has many sexual references and one brutal (mostly off-screen) sexual scene. It has over 250 uses of the word "f--k." There is detailed drug use. If you are easily offended this is not the film for you.

If you can get past this R-rated material, you will find a gem. One of the greatest and most influential films ever made. You will never see anything like it ever again.

© Written by Jacob Hall

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - A+ Richard Propes - A Jacob Hall - A+

TC Candler's Comment

One of the ten greatest films of all time.

Richard Propes' Comment

This film isn't aging well for me, and I confess it may drop out of my favorites. Still, I thought Travolta did a nice job. I enjoyed the performances more than the script, but thought the pacing was generally well done.