Pulp Fiction Review essays

Pulp Fiction Review essays Quentin Tarantinos 1994 box office hit Pulp Fiction created a new genre: film noir with the sarcasm and disillusionment of the 90s. Base situations and low-life characters somehow do not come off as dramatic and shocking, but rather as ordinary and understandable. Tarantino, a self-taught, one-time video store clerk, has made a film not based on reality but based on film. Pulp Fiction is a tongue-in-cheek look at typical movie cliches, ranging from the dangerous life of a mobster to the returning of a patriotic war hero. While Pulp Fiction is only occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, a smirk remains painted on the lips of its viewers through out the duration of the two and a half hour film. The extraordinary somehow becomes ordinary and the ordinary somehow seems inappropriate. Perhaps it is the nonchalance with which Tarantino approaches drug use and violence that has offended so many people, but conversely, it is that same casual nature that makes the film void of judgment and therefore draws people to it. The screenplay, written by Tarantino and Roger Avary, is quick and witty. Action is cushioned by dialogue, and even without action, the dialogue is strong enough to stand on its own. The most enjoyable banter takes place between organized-crime partners, Jules and Vincent Vega. Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta, is a well-intentioned hit man who, despite his arrogance, usually screws things up. Travolta gives a stellar performance, making a cocky, middle-aged thug seem harmless, charming, and oddly loveable. Samuel L. Jackson is cast as Vincent Vegas better half, Jules. Jackson delivers his lines with an undaunted confidence and Shaft-style smoothness. Lines which could potentially seem over-the-top, through the assistance of Jacksons amazing screen presence, come across as intimidating and oh-so-cool. Making it seem not only acceptable, but ultimately necessary that Jules should...