Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Pulp Fiction (1994) – Q. Tarantino

There are parts of Pulp Fiction that have not aged well or perhaps they were always flaws (excessive use of profanity including the N word, glamorisation of drug use and violence, Tarantino's own very bad acting), but on the whole, those things that made it feel fresh in 1994 still work. I still chuckled at Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta (two hit men) discussing foot massages and the Royale with cheese, the nonlinear narrative structure and triptych of stories creates interest rather than confounds, and the soundtrack is cracking and perfectly edited into the picture.  One wonders how much writing partner Roger Avary contributed (his career shared similar sensibilities but has not taken off in the same way).  Although the title says it all, and allows us to accept that the stories here will wallow in the gutter a bit, there is still a degree of crassness in Tarantino that might masquerade as hep coolness, cherishing bad grindhouse features, but is also still sexist, homophobic, racist or what-have-you (not that these prejudices all contaminate Pulp Fiction -- but they aren’t shied away from in Tarantino’s oeuvre either; perhaps he feels authentic by not hiding them away?).  But perhaps I’m denigrating Pulp Fiction too much – it is still a pop entertainment, not seeking depth or anything more than relishing a fanboy’s joy at paying homage and tweaking classic film noir genres (the boxer who throws the fight or doesn’t, the hitman who has a moment of clarity, the fixer who averts crises for the gang, the Deliverance style bad trip that brings foes together, the hitman who takes his boss’s wife out and screws up, and so on) and tipping us to the music he loves. (Not to mention his goal of reinvigorating careers, such as with Travolta’s ace turn here).  Did Tarantino continue to feel such joy in filmmaking as he progressed in his career?  Sometimes yes, maybe sometimes no.  I haven’t seen his latest yet but will be interested to see if he has transcended his limitations by now.