First Take Classics: Pulp Fiction- and you will know my name is the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee...

SYNOPSIS: The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

More Tarantino today as we get ever closer to the release of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood- and it’s time to cover arguably his strongest film in terms of the impact on pop culture. EVERYONE knows a scene or two from this one- but does it hold up all these years on? The answer is of course yes.

As usual, QT directs this one incredibly well, juggling those 7 distinct sequences in that typical non-linear manner and still ensuring that the 2 hour 34 minute runtime flies by, something which is difficult with the amount of plotlines spread throughout the film. Tarantino and frequent collaborator in these early days Roger Avary helm the script on this one, and sure, it takes a few viewings to understand exactly what’s going on and where with the 3 concurrent storylines, but that adds to the mystery and the suspense of each character- like with Reservoir Dogs, we get to know them better as the film runs on. Andrzej Sekula returns behind the camera to create more cinematographic gold, and the soundtrack is simply to die for.

With the cast, as usual it is hard to find any faults, and it’s a who’s who of absolute star talent. Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken… this is a real group of talents who can take even the most basic plot and make it worth watching, and working to that script, it’s hard to find a fault with this absolute cult classic of a film. It doesn’t feel like it was released 25 years ago, and considering this is still on the IMDB top 250 to this day, this is arguably the film that defined Tarantino’s career as he began working towards creating more stylised pieces like Kill Bill.

THE VERDICT

Trying to praise this film in ways that haven’t already been done is a very difficult task, but what I can say is that this is essential viewing for anyone doing a film-based educational course. The impact this one has had on popular culture is unrivalled, from that soundtrack, to the infinitely quotable script… and of course, the legacy it created. Happy 25th anniversary Pulp Fiction, what a film you are.

RATING: 5/5