Cult Fiction
Tripwire’s editor-in-chief reviews Pulp Fiction out now in restored 4K…
Pulp Fiction
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames
1994 saw the release of Tarantino’s second feature, Pulp Fiction. Its only connection to its predecessor in terms of casting was including Tim Roth and an extended cameo from Harvey Keitel, but there was no mistaking the usual Tarantino trademarks. Unlike Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction was an anthology piece which dealt with several connected stories. Running through them like the word ‘Brighton’ on a stick of rock was hitmen Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L Jackson). Reservoir Dogs was an impressive debut but Pulp Fiction was an even more cohesive and dynamic piece of cinema. It was the film that resurrected, albeit briefly, John Travolta’s career and showed just what versatile actors Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson were.
Willis, up to this point, was best known as John McClane in the blockbuster Die Hard franchise, while Jackson had yet to break out of supporting roles. But arguably Pulp Fiction belongs to Jackson who is brilliantly cast as the assassin who has a Paul-like change of heart thanks to a pivotal moment within the film. It is also important to point out that Winnfield’s partner in crime, Travolta’s Vincent Vega (also the name of Michael Madsen’s character in Reservoir Dogs, film trivia fans), brings an intensity and a reserved cool to the part that many people didn’t believe he had in him anymore. The scenes between Vega and Mia, the girlfriend of mob boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) contain some brilliant dialogue, with Travolta really inhabiting the role. Thurman too is excellent here, the sexual tension in the scenes between her and Vega almost palpable enough for the viewer to see. Rhames also has time to shine here, as the section where he and Buddy (Bruce Willis) are kidnapped and sodomised by Zed (Peter Greene) and his friend is one of the most harrowing in modern film history. This was also one of the boldest scenes in contemporary mainstream Hollywood movies, as Tarantino pulls no punches here. Willis is exceptional throughout as he brings an understated toughness and empathy to his performance that we hadn’t seen from him before. Tarantino even manages to include a brilliant walk-on from Christopher Walken in a darkly humourous flashback scene, appearing as Buddy’s dad’s fellow former prisoner of war.
The film ends with the arrival of Harvey Keitel as the laconic yet charismatic Winston Wolf, a man who is brought in by Wallace to clean up the mess when Vega accidentally shoots their informer Marvin (Phil LaMarr). The dark humour and lightness of touch that Tarantino brought to Reservoir Dogs is in sharper focus here, and even though there are a number of different stories and different protagonists, Tarantino and his co-writer Roger Avary keep all the plates spinning in the air. It has a running time of two and a half hours, but it is testament to Tarantino and Avary that it never feels like they are just marking time, and every line of dialogue and every scene is there for a very deliberate and conscious purpose. Just like in Reservoir Dogs, the soundtrack here is well-chosen, adding an extra layer to the various stories. At turns it manages to be funny and dramatic with some memorable dialogue and well-written characters. It channels the likes of Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler, but in a very modern setting. Reservoir Dogs was a great debut but Pulp Fiction is the work of a confident and mature filmmaker who understood what makes a memorable film and is able to bring the best out of a magnificent cast.
Tarantino struck cinematic gold not once but twice and, watching one of the documentary extras here, you are reminded of how feted this film was, winning the Palm D’Or at Cannes as well as a number of other awards. Also, it really raised the bar for independent filmmaking with other less talented directors trying to ape what Tarantino achieved here but less successfully so.
The 4K restoration here does look really sharp and it is great to see a modern classic like this at an even better resolution than we have seen it before. The extras are mostly legacy ones taken from earlier releases but it is still fun to include them here again. We have a number of deleted scenes which are interesting to watch and Tarantino explains to us his thinking as to why they were kept out.
Quentin Tarantino was arguably the father of US modern independent cinema and Pulp Fiction is still such a groundbreaking film.
Joel Meadows
Pulp Fiction is on 4K now
Here’s the film’s trailer
The post Tripwire Reviews Pulp Fiction 4K Edition appeared first on TRIPWIRE MAGAZINE.
Cult Fiction Tripwire’s editor-in-chief reviews Pulp Fiction out now in restored 4K… Pulp Fiction Director: Quentin Tarantino Stars: Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames 1994 saw the release of Tarantino’s second feature, Pulp Fiction. Its only connection to its predecessor in terms of casting was including Tim Roth and an extended
The post Tripwire Reviews Pulp Fiction 4K Edition appeared first on TRIPWIRE MAGAZINE.Read MoreTRIPWIRE MAGAZINE