You’ve had 30 years; if you haven’t already seen it, you need to watch “Pulp Fiction.”

Released on October 14, 1994, this film follows the stories of several criminals, most of whom are associated with crime boss Marsellus Wallace, played by Ving Rhames. 

The narrative is told out of chronological order, unfolding more like a novel than a film. There are three main stories that each feature a different protagonist: Vincent Vega, a professional hitman, played by John Travolta, Butch Coolidge, a prizefighter, played by Bruce Willis and Jules Winnfield, Vega’s business partner, played by Samuel L. Jackson. 

The story is divided into chapters and jumps forwards and backwards in time to weave an intricate web of a narrative that is both captivating and exciting. 

“Pulp Fiction” has become a staple of American cinema since its release. Sure, there were plenty of crime movies before “Pulp Fiction”, and there have been plenty made since, but few captivated audiences and impacted culture the way this film did. 

While this wasn’t Tarantino’s first movie as a director, it was the one that fully established him as one of Hollywood’s best. This movie firmly cemented the sort of “template” that many of Tarantino’s subsequent films would emulate or even improve upon. 

A reason this movie holds up so well is because every single actor on screen is doing a fantastic job. By modern standards, the cast of this movie are top tier, A-List stars; but that was not the case in 1994.

Tarantino’s writing is another major reason this film is so great. While every main character is a “villain” by any standard, Tarantino  manages to humanize them to the audience, making you root for their success. 

The dialogue in this movie is just so good. Every conversation sounds so casual and off the cuff that you can forget it’s scripted. A great example of this is found in one of the first scenes in the movie, where Jules and Vincent are having a casual, mostly meaningless conversation about Europe and the differences with a French McDonalds and their naming of a Quarter Pounder with cheese since they use the metric system and don’t know how much a quarter pound is, all while preparing to murder people. 

These sorts of conversations occur throughout the movie, often juxtaposed with something incredibly violent and dark, solidifying a now trademark humor that is present in all of Tarantino’s work. 

This film was a completely unique take on the crime genre that established Tarantino as an original creative with his own style and vibe that set his films apart from the rest. 

“Pulp Fiction” continues to withstand the test of time and feel as fresh as the day it was released, even 30 years later. 

Categories: Arts & Entertainment