Pulp Fiction - Not Tarantino's Best.

 (1994) ★★★★☆

Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction'... I remember I once watched it on TV when I was a student. I didn't really like it, coz I didn't know what it's about, let alone those homages. And its non-linear way of telling a story really gave me a headache. Perhaps it seemed less entertaining as the foul language was cut off to be fit for TV broadcasting. Or maybe I was too young and innocent to enjoy things like that.

But now I know Tarantino's an unconventional film director. He went to films instead of film school. He'd rather marry films than women. He's a total film junkie. That's why his movies are full of homages. And you have to be a film junkie too to enjoy them. The problem is, I'm not quite. So his films always seem a bit weird to me. Weird, however, doesn't mean bad. They were just too avant-garde for a dork like me.

After watching 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Kill Bill' and 'Inglorious Bastards', I've gotta say that Tarantino's an excellent screenwriter. The characters he's created are so vivid and impressive. The dialogues in his films are intriguingly sarcastic and accurately executed. That's why 'Pulp Fiction' is such a neo noir classic. That's why I always love to check out his 'weird' stuff.

'Pulp Fiction' is the Academy Award Winner for the Best Original Screenplay category back in 1995. I watched it again, lately on DVD. I kinda like it now. There ain't too much to say about it since what should be said has been said. To me, it's better than 'Kill Bill', but not so exciting as 'Inglorious Bastards', which I consider Tarantino's best so far, but it's still a great demo of his talents in screenwriting. Here's a very good example:

"There's this passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is The Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee." I been saying that shit for years. And if you heard it, that meant your ass. I never gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was some cold-blooded shit to say to a motherfucker 'fore I popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this mornin' made me think twice. See, now I'm thinking, maybe it means you're the evil man, and I'm the righteous man, and Mr. 9 millimeter here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or, it could mean you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. I'd like that. But that shit ain't the truth. The truth is, you're the weak, and I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm trying real hard to be the shepherd."