Pulp Fiction (1994)

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer(s): Tarantino, from a story by Tarantino and Roger Avery
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman

What can you say about Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction that hasn’t been already said by thousands of critics and moviegoers?  It launched the career of Tarantino, rejuvenated John Travolta’s, and raised the stock of Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, and Bruce Willis tenfold.  It’s a crime caper, featuring an anthology of loosely-connected stories that was considered ingenious and daring during its release.  But now that the dust has settled, and we have had 21 years to acclimate ourselves with this talky action classic, does it still hold up as well as it used to?

Before we get to that, let’s just run through the plot.  This will be a mere formality, as dozens of other articles will go into it more in depth, and analyze it down to the most minute of details, if that’s what you’re looking for; likewise, if you’re actually planning on watching it, and have never seen it before, the less you know about it, the better.  Pulp Fiction begins with two petty criminals (Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth) in a restaurant; together, on a whim, they come up with an idea to rob the restaurant, figuring no one would be expecting that.

After this, we meet Vincent Vega (Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Jackson), two hitmen who are discussing the differences between European and American fast food establishments, on their way to a hit.  Afterwards, Vincent is tasked with taking out a young lady, Mia Wallace, who happens to be the boss’ wife.  Then, we meet Butch (Bruce Willis), an aging boxer who makes an agreement with Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames, and the aforementioned boss) to take a dive in the first round of his next boxing match—but things go awry when Butch reneges on his agreement, instead winning by KO...and killing his opponent.  These stories go much farther and deeper into detail, but the movie contains so many surprises and twists that I wouldn’t want to ruin it by accidentally giving something away—this should nevertheless get you through the first hour, or so, and then things get really interesting.

Pulp Fiction gained most of its fame from the way it was shot—these stories are told in fragmented bits and parts, with the chronology jumping all over the place.  So, for example, after one character is killed, he still may reappear in a later segment alive, because the story has jumped backwards in time.  It sounds confusing, and though the unconventional approach might be a little disorienting at first, most people will get accustomed to the constant jumping around within a few scenes.  Some of the stories are loosely intertwined, with characters appearing in the story arcs of another, and the whole restaurant intro comes back at the end to bring everything full circle…it’s a genius narrative gimmick that was mind-blowing in its day, and still holds up fairly well today, even though a spate of copycats over the years have somewhat diminished its potency.

Aside from Quentin Tarantino’s questionable (and completely unnecessary) decision to put himself in the role of Jimmie, where he looks terribly out of place, the acting is almost flawless across the board.  This is definitely a good thing, because if the acting wasn’t up to snuff, then the film’s long-winded ramblings would have come across as pompous and egotistical.  Somehow, the actors take them and make them not only believable, but entertaining, which couldn’t have been an easy feat.

I could probably ramble on about the cinematography, or the special effects, or the interesting story behind its production, or how Tarantino was said to have modeled the multi-tiered “anthology” premise of his story off of none other than legendary Italian horror director Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath (my favorite horror film of all time), but all of these things have been examined in greater detail, by writers far more talented than I.  All I know is, this is a movie worthy of its praise, and while the years have slightly diminished the strength and originality of its fragmented storytelling, there is no denying the influence that Tarantino’s movie continues to exert on modern films.  While I’m not sure I would consider it one of my favorite movies of all time, it’s required viewing simply for the rags-to-riches story—how one man, armed with a camera, endless determination, and with a little luck—could go on to make the highest-grossing independent film of its time, and change the face of cinema in the process.

RECAP: Pulp Fiction is one of the rare movies that deserves just about all of the praise that it gets.  Despite its 152-minute run time, it remains fascinating throughout, mainly due to the narrative structuring, as well as its willingness to wallow in unpredictability.  Aside from Tarantino’s terrible performance, the rest of the actors bring their “A” game, which help to give character to most of the constant monologues and quirky dialogue.  Say what you want about it, or Tarantino in general (his modern interviews are so egotistical that they come off as cringe-worthy), there’s no denying that his independent feature helped to change the face of mainstream cinema.

RATING: 9/10

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Natural Born Killers (1994)

Director: Oliver Stone
Writer(s): David Veloski, Richard Rutowski, and Stone. From a story by Quentin Tarantino.
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, and Rodney Dangerfield

Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis play Mickey and Mallory Knox, respectively, a couple who spend the better part of two hours (of screen time) killing anyone that gets in their way.  Naturally, the media jumps all over their story.  But the problem is, their murders don’t disgust the nation; they seem to inspire it.  Before you know it, everyone is in on Mickey and Mallory Mania, not the least of whom is Wayne Gale, a sleazy tabloid reporter for the sleazy television series “American Maniacs”.  He knows the story could pull in huge ratings, so he arranges a sit-down interview with Mickey that will air right after the Super Bowl.

We’re just getting that out of the way, because the plot is largely secondary in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers; it’s all about the ultra-stylish visuals: Video clips play in windows behind characters; some sequences are animated like comic books; shots are in black and white; lighting changes drastically in mid-scene to convey harsh changes in tone; disturbing moments involving child abuse are played out in a sitcom-style, complete with a laugh track.  It’s a hyper-kinetic grab bag of visual brilliance that manages to help carry the film, even after the one-note social commentary aspect starts to wear thin.

As relevant as the camaraderie between the media and murderers has always seemed to be (after all, the media craves ratings, and sensationalized stories of brutal murders have always succeeded in bringing them), the relationship has gotten even more out of hand since Natural Born Killers was released; this movie itself was the focus of copycats, who glorified (and misinterpreted) the film and used it as a launching point for their own sadistic crimes.  However, to put it into perspective, this was released five years before the tragic events of Columbine, perhaps the most “famous” of all shootings, and arguably the moment the media crossed the “point of no return”, where the constant exposure of the killers crossed the line into blatant glorification.  Outside of those closely impacted by the terrible events, very few can name even a single victim, but the killers themselves have become household names.

In other words, this is a movie that sadly only gets more and more relevant as the years go on, and one that threatens to stay that way for many decades to come.

Much of the film’s success lies in the hands of its stars: Harrelson and Lewis are perfect in the main roles.  Their chemistry is solid, and they can pull off low-class white trash like few others in Hollywood.  They ooze confidence and charisma underneath their sleaziness, giving them somewhat likable qualities that the everyday man can relate to; the way their exploits are presented to eager audiences hit a little too close to home for comfort.  The other performances are pretty good all around, but Tommy Lee Jones is the most notable of the secondary characters, in a ridiculously (and intentionally) over-the-top performance as prison warden Dwight McClusky.  He spits and spews his lines without restraint, yet it’s a performance befitting the material.

Quentin Tarantino wrote the original screenplay (before it was heavily revised by David Veloz, Richard Rutowski, and director Oliver Stone), and rumor has it that much of his original dialogue stayed intact through the final version.  This is partially the film’s biggest fault, with an elongated middle section that features long-winded monologues, in Tarantino’s style, that break up the film’s otherwise exciting assault on the senses (Interestingly, Tarantino has disowned the film, claiming: "I hate that fucking movie. If you like my stuff, don't watch that movie.")

Tarantino and his massive ego don't deserve to shoulder all of the blame, though: the whole “mainstream media is evil” angle, while entirely true, is a rather thin hook to hang a two-hour hat on.  As I’ve stated earlier, Mr. Stone does an admirable job of keeping things interesting, but there are just so many ways you can present the media’s influence on the outcomes of its subjects (which was the singular idea that turned the project from an Arnold Schwarzenegger-style action vehicle, to the satirical take on media that it became) over the span of 120 minutes, while still managing to keep it fresh.  In certain passages, it becomes clear that the filmmakers, lead by Mr. Stone himself, are simply content to beat a dead horse.

But rarely has beating a lifeless equine been so damn liberating—at its best, which it is for roughly three-fourths of its run-time, Natural Born Killers is an adrenaline-pumping bloodbath of epic proportions.  And like many of my favorite films, it has a natural obsession with pulling out all the stops; Stone throws everything in his repertoire at the viewer, and the effect is truly exhausting.  A fitting companion to the incredible visuals, the soundtrack (produced by Trent Reznor) is also phenomenal (supposedly, Reznor watched the movie 50 times to understand every scene and subtle nuance before committing music to the film), and really helps to accent the brilliance of the individual scenes.

It’s far from perfect, but Natural Born Killers is a daring film, and certainly one of the gutsiest mainstream releases of all time.  Even though it was released twenty years ago, it still feels like a film ahead of its time, and will continue to be as long as the media acts as enablers to violent acts, instead of using its considerable power to help curb them.

RECAP: The film’s potent, but one-note, social commentary wears thin, but Natural Born Killers is an unrelenting attack on the senses.  Featuring an outstanding soundtrack (by none other than NIN’s Trent Reznor) and a visual style that utilizes animation, black and white sequences, over-the-top lighting, and background projection (just to name but a few), this manages to be a kinetic thrill ride that sadly only becomes more and more relevant as the years go on.

RATING: 8.5/10

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