Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction is told in a very interesting non-linear fashion. However, even though there is one overarching arc that is remarkably comprehensible, each short story making up the film has its own arc. While I thought that this was a very interesting take, I did find that often, there were pieces that were missing on my first watch. Certain characters and the choices that they made meant nothing, and, while in the end each character is well fleshed out, the beginning is off. John Travolta’s character was where I felt this the most. During his short story, we knew nothing about the world and why he was doing what he was doing, or what the importance of that is to him. Not to mention, I have never cared for his acting, it seems quite stiff. Even though intentions are revealed later in the story, it still feels that the first act really didn’t work, other than the dancing scene. There are a lot of iconic lines in Pulp Fiction, most of which coming from Samuel Jackson’s character. This is due to the way that Tarantino wrote that specific character. I also feel that Jackson’s character resonated with audiences because he didn’t have his moment in the spotlight until the end of the film. If any other character had that position, it is quite likely that they would be the audience’s favorite. Now, this movie is not all bad. Far from it. If looked at in a linear way, the story’s actually quite good. All of the moments compiling the film have compelling drama that is told in a very realistic way. Overall, while the first watch through may have been confusing, and some of the acting wasn’t as good as it should be, the story as a whole is brilliantly told. So, I will give it a 7.8/10