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Just when American independent cinema seemed to be peaking in the mid-'90s, Pulp Fiction came in with a bullet, not only redefining the world that Hollywood called "small movies" but also Hollywood itself. Writer-director Quentin Tarantino's sophomore effort, following his 1992 cult hit Reservoir Dogs, was a studio executive's dream equation: star power (Bruce Willis and John Travolta, whose career turned around thanks to the film); a budget south of $10 million; plenty of action; and some of the slickest, wittiest dialogue this side of David Mamet. The film also caters to the critics, professional and otherwise, with knowing touches in every scene. Like Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, Tarantino's film wears its influences on its sleeve -- pulp crime novels, '70s TV, and movies, movies, movies -- yet still offers a sensibility like none before it. The artfully fragmented narrative concerns a pair of philosophically inclined assassins (Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson) and a rebellious boxer (Willis), all in the employ of an imperious gangster (Ving Rhames) who holds sway in the sleazy underbelly of Los Angeles. In addition to a stellar supporting cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Eric Stoltz, Roseanna Arquette, and Tim Roth, this much-imitated film also has a super-groovy soundtrack, with selections ranging from the Tornadoes' "Bustin' Surfboards" to Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man." Visceral yet chatty, gruesome yet hilarious, Pulp Fiction successfully straddles both mainstream and indie film realms, and it will likely be recalled as the most influential American film of its era. Monica McIntyre

All Movie Guide

Outrageously violent, time-twisting, and in love with language, Pulp Fiction was widely considered the most influential American movie of the 1990s. Director and co-screenwriter Quentin Tarantino synthesized such seemingly disparate traditions as the syncopated language of David Mamet; the serious violence of American gangster movies, crime movies, and films noirs mixed up with the wacky violence of cartoons, video games, and Japanese animation; and the fragmented story-telling structures of such experimental classics as Citizen Kane, Rashomon, and La jetée. The Oscar-winning script by Tarantino and Roger Avary intertwines three stories, featuring Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta, in the role that single-handedly reignited his career, as hit men who have philosophical interchanges on such topics as the French names for American fast food products; Bruce Willis as a boxer out of a 1940s B-movie; and such other stalwarts as Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, whose dance sequence with Travolta proved an instant classic. Leo Charney

Product Details

• UPC: 786936161571
• Source: MIRAMAX
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: Español
• Time: 2:34:00
• Sales Rank: 6,391

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