Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Quentin Tarantino, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer

(8-Exceptional Film)

Iconic. Inventive. Wild.

Two hitmen discuss fast food on the way to a hit. A gangster’s wife overdoses on heroin. A boxer double-crosses a fix. A lowlife couple rob diners. Episodic to great effect, the film’s a true original. Following Reservoir Dogs, the film that put Tarantino on the map, Pulp Fiction was the egocentric but brilliant filmmaker’s ascension. Samuel L. Jackson, in particular, stands out to me, and his delivery of the movie’s final monologue might be a career-best for him. If I feel the movie falls short of being a true masterpiece, it’s simply that it never touches on any substantial themes or ideas. Nevertheless, Pulp Fiction is ultraviolent, stylish, and odd. It’s 2 and 1/2 hours unfolding in unforgettable fashion.

-Walter Tyrone Howard-

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