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Pulp Fiction (1994)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast overview: John Travolta, Uma Thurman
Running time: 154 minutes
This is the second Tarantino film I've seen - the other being Django Unchained - and I thought both were pretty good. That said, I do think this is overrated. I certainly wouldn't have it in the top few films ever - though I guess I can understand why some consider it to be so. It's influenced pop culture and has created several tropes that have become embedded in the public psyche. It's the quintessential nineties film, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best. Not for me, anyway. I don't think it's a patch on Fargo, which really did have fantastic writing.
But there's not much to this. It's a non-linear type of film which involves separate scenes and characters - there's no central plot - that come together. The acting is good - particularly from Samuel L. Jackson, who seems to appear in most Tarantino films. The music was excellent, that's certainly worthy of the film's status. But the rest of it didn't do much for me - it was a reasonable enough watch but it's been overhyped so much that I was expecting a cinema classic. Hype is a terrible thing because it gives you unrealistic expectations - without those, I would've perhaps enjoyed this more.
Some people say the fact that there's no message or meaning to the story is part of its allure, part of the reason why it's considered a masterpiece. Fair enough. It's reasonably well-directed, well-made, and clearly was the film Tarantino always wanted to make, but those ingredients alone don't make a masterpiece.
In short, it's a film I enjoyed to an extent, certainly entertaining at times, but I think it's very overrated for what it is. I don't know, maybe I just don't "understand" Tarantino. No doubt that's the argument his fans would put forward to anyone who dares to criticise this. It's not criticism, simply a lack of the furore with which others seem to regard it. Decent, but nothing more - but that's just me.
Quotes
Brett: He... he's black...
Jules: Go on...
Brett: He's bald
Jules: Does he look like a bitch?
Brett: What?
Jules: [Shoots Brett in the shoulder] DOES HE LOOK LIKE A BITCH?
Brett: No!
Jules: Then why you try to **** him like a bitch?
Brett: I didn't...
Jules: Yes you did. Yes you did! You tried to **** him. And Marcellus Wallace don't like to be ****ed by anybody except Mrs. Wallace.
Jimmie: I can't believe this is the same car.
The Wolf: Well, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet.
Jules: You, flock of seagulls, you know why we're here? Why don't you tell my man Vincent where you got the **** hid at?
Marvin: It's over th...
Jules: I don't remember askin' you a ******* thing! You were saying?
Roger: It's in the cupboard.
[Vincent starts looking in the upper cupboard]
Roger: No, no, the one by your kn-knees.
Jules: We happy?
[Vincent continues staring at the briefcase's contents]
Jules: Vincent! We happy?
Vincent: Yeah, we happy.
Brett: I'm sorry, I didn't get your name. I got yours, Vincent, right? But I didn't get yours...
Jules: My name's Pitt. And your ass ain't talkin' your way out of this ****.
Brett: No, no, I just want you to know... I just want you to know how sorry we are that things got so ****ed up with us and Mr. Wallace. We got into this thing with the best intentions and I never...
Jules: [Jules shoots the man on the couch] I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh, you were finished! Well, allow me to retort. What does Marsellus Wallace look like?
Brett: What?
Jules: What country are you from?
Brett: What? What? Wh - ?
Jules: "What" ain't no country I've ever heard of. They speak English in What?
Brett: What?
Jules: English, mother****er, do you speak it?
Brett: Yes! Yes!
Jules: Then you know what I'm sayin'!
Brett: Yes!
Jules: Describe what Marsellus Wallace looks like!
Brett: What?
Jules: Say 'what' again. Say 'what' again, I dare you, I double dare you mother****er, say what one more ******* time!
Trivia
The shot of Vincent plunging the syringe into Mia's chest was filmed by having John Travolta pull the needle out, then running the film backwards.
In real life, Vincent Vega's 1964 Chevelle Malibu convertible belongs to Quentin Tarantino and was stolen during the production of the film. In 2013, a police officer saw two kids stripping an older car. He arrested them and when researching the vehicle found the VIN number had been altered. It turns out that it was the car stolen from 'Quentin Tarantino'. The owner had recently purchased it and had no idea it was stolen.
Whenever Vincent Vega (John Travolta) goes to the toilet something bad happens.
Trailer
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast overview: John Travolta, Uma Thurman
Running time: 154 minutes
This is the second Tarantino film I've seen - the other being Django Unchained - and I thought both were pretty good. That said, I do think this is overrated. I certainly wouldn't have it in the top few films ever - though I guess I can understand why some consider it to be so. It's influenced pop culture and has created several tropes that have become embedded in the public psyche. It's the quintessential nineties film, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best. Not for me, anyway. I don't think it's a patch on Fargo, which really did have fantastic writing.
But there's not much to this. It's a non-linear type of film which involves separate scenes and characters - there's no central plot - that come together. The acting is good - particularly from Samuel L. Jackson, who seems to appear in most Tarantino films. The music was excellent, that's certainly worthy of the film's status. But the rest of it didn't do much for me - it was a reasonable enough watch but it's been overhyped so much that I was expecting a cinema classic. Hype is a terrible thing because it gives you unrealistic expectations - without those, I would've perhaps enjoyed this more.
Some people say the fact that there's no message or meaning to the story is part of its allure, part of the reason why it's considered a masterpiece. Fair enough. It's reasonably well-directed, well-made, and clearly was the film Tarantino always wanted to make, but those ingredients alone don't make a masterpiece.
In short, it's a film I enjoyed to an extent, certainly entertaining at times, but I think it's very overrated for what it is. I don't know, maybe I just don't "understand" Tarantino. No doubt that's the argument his fans would put forward to anyone who dares to criticise this. It's not criticism, simply a lack of the furore with which others seem to regard it. Decent, but nothing more - but that's just me.
Quotes
Brett: He... he's black...
Jules: Go on...
Brett: He's bald
Jules: Does he look like a bitch?
Brett: What?
Jules: [Shoots Brett in the shoulder] DOES HE LOOK LIKE A BITCH?
Brett: No!
Jules: Then why you try to **** him like a bitch?
Brett: I didn't...
Jules: Yes you did. Yes you did! You tried to **** him. And Marcellus Wallace don't like to be ****ed by anybody except Mrs. Wallace.
Jimmie: I can't believe this is the same car.
The Wolf: Well, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet.
Jules: You, flock of seagulls, you know why we're here? Why don't you tell my man Vincent where you got the **** hid at?
Marvin: It's over th...
Jules: I don't remember askin' you a ******* thing! You were saying?
Roger: It's in the cupboard.
[Vincent starts looking in the upper cupboard]
Roger: No, no, the one by your kn-knees.
Jules: We happy?
[Vincent continues staring at the briefcase's contents]
Jules: Vincent! We happy?
Vincent: Yeah, we happy.
Brett: I'm sorry, I didn't get your name. I got yours, Vincent, right? But I didn't get yours...
Jules: My name's Pitt. And your ass ain't talkin' your way out of this ****.
Brett: No, no, I just want you to know... I just want you to know how sorry we are that things got so ****ed up with us and Mr. Wallace. We got into this thing with the best intentions and I never...
Jules: [Jules shoots the man on the couch] I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh, you were finished! Well, allow me to retort. What does Marsellus Wallace look like?
Brett: What?
Jules: What country are you from?
Brett: What? What? Wh - ?
Jules: "What" ain't no country I've ever heard of. They speak English in What?
Brett: What?
Jules: English, mother****er, do you speak it?
Brett: Yes! Yes!
Jules: Then you know what I'm sayin'!
Brett: Yes!
Jules: Describe what Marsellus Wallace looks like!
Brett: What?
Jules: Say 'what' again. Say 'what' again, I dare you, I double dare you mother****er, say what one more ******* time!
Trivia
The shot of Vincent plunging the syringe into Mia's chest was filmed by having John Travolta pull the needle out, then running the film backwards.
In real life, Vincent Vega's 1964 Chevelle Malibu convertible belongs to Quentin Tarantino and was stolen during the production of the film. In 2013, a police officer saw two kids stripping an older car. He arrested them and when researching the vehicle found the VIN number had been altered. It turns out that it was the car stolen from 'Quentin Tarantino'. The owner had recently purchased it and had no idea it was stolen.
Whenever Vincent Vega (John Travolta) goes to the toilet something bad happens.
Trailer