Pulp Fiction 

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Premise: Three intersecting stories of characters involved in organized crime. A pair of hit men (John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson) run into misadventures trying to deliver a suitcase to their boss (Ving Rhames), one of the hit men takes their boss' drug abusing wife (Uma Thurman) out for dinner and drinks, and a boxer (Bruce Willis) manipulates a fixed fight to maintain his dignity.

What Works: Pulp Fiction has quickly become a contemporary classic with memorable characters, lines of dialogue that have entered the public dialect, and scenes that have been parodied, alluded to, imitated, and otherwise referenced in other works. This is ironic because Pulp Fiction is largely a love letter to cinema. References to other films are scattered throughout the picture, including highbrow classics like Psycho (Ving Rhames crossing in front of Bruce Willis’ car), cult films like Kiss Me Deadly (the mysterious suitcase), silent films like The Great Train Robbery (the method of robbing the patrons in the restaurant), Westerns like Rio Bravo (Bruce Willis prompting the cop to pick up his gun), road pictures like Easy Rider (the name of  the motorcycle Bruce Willis rides at the end of his story), and Disney films like The Parent Trap(the square Uma Thurman draws in the air). Although Pulp Fiction is primarily a crime film, the picture mixes a blend of genres together to create something that is both a tribute to the cinema and to pop culture while also a strong picture in its own right. Tarantino’s dialogue is a bit like Beat poetry, using large amounts of profanity and a blue-collar sense of language while visually referencing violence, drug use, and sexuality. This potent mixture, fused with constant pop culture references, makes Pulp Fiction one of the defining films of a generation. The acting in the film is top notch with actors cast to their strengths. Bruce Willis, a limited actor who makes very good choices of material, plays exactly the kind of rough but likable tough guy he is known for. Samuel L. Jackson’s image as a badass, and much of his career since, has come to be defined by his work in this film. Pulp Fiction has been highly influential since its release, as other filmmakers have attempted to emulate its nonlinear narrative and (with varying degrees of success) its mix of violence and wit.

What Doesn’t: The only major fault of Pulp Fiction, and of Tarantino as a filmmaker, is his tendency to fall in love with his own dialogue. There are lots of scenes that go on and on, and although the dialogue is fun it also does not have a lot of narrative value.

DVD extras: The Collector’s Edition DVD contains deleted scenes, featurettes, photo gallery, soundtrack chapter stops, TV spots and trailers, interviews, and a Siskel & Ebert episode on “The Tarantino Generation.”

Bottom Line: Pulp Fiction is essential viewing for film enthusiasts and for anyone looking to see how to make an original story out of older material. The picture is a tribute to the movies, a solid picture in its own right, and it instilled a self-awareness that has come to mark today’s films.